A Body She Couldn't Control
by Black Ice and Blood Rain
Summary: Back when she was the nerdiest girl in the whole school, he'd taken her virginity, then left her with a broken heart. She had a nervous breakdown, mental problem after mental problem...until she snapped, and now, five years later... Lemons. InuKag. Done.
1. Chapter 1

Lemon Warning! It's rated M for a reason, people! No flames!

I received, much to my slight annoyance, the usual numerous wolf-whistles as I walked down 100 and 8th. My black five inch heeled thigh-high boots clicked against the pavement as I strutted in my natural walk. It was a mildly warm day, so this morning, I'd opted for the blue camouflage dress with the short sleeves that ended a few inches below where my boots began. I chose to promptly ignore the whistles, for despite my constant concupiscence, I was still a lady. More than once, I could feel the eyes of strangers undressing me with a lustiness I was accustomed to, and it gave me a sense of self-satisfaction. It made me feel like more of a woman, if you would. But that is besides the point. I was headed for a very specific destination of one I knew very well, and if things went as planned...it would be a _very _pleasurable day.

-

"Bankoutsu." The sound of my voice had his neck snapping towards me. He grinned as he sauntered in my direction, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face in my neck.

"Kagome...I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"What cause do I have not to?" I replied smoothly. "You called, so I came."

"Ah...ever the faithful woman." He smiled placidly.

"If it pleases you to think so, then by all means, I won't hinder you." His tongue darted out against my jugular, slowly trailing against the cervix. I felt no emotion, only lust, and I veered my neck from reach. He whimpered, but I silenced him with a swift hand down the front of his pants. He gasped at the sudden sensation. I teasingly tickled his cock with my elegant nails, purring, "Now, Bankoutsu, you know all too well that I don't work that way." He hardened under my skillful touch. "Just..._sit back_..." I pushed him back onto the couch behind him, unlacing my boots. "...and let your girl handle this for you." I set the boots on the floor and got on my knees, sliding Bankoutsu's pants down to his ankles. His eager dick permeated the slit in his boxers, making my job--pun intended--that much easier. A bead of pre-cum already formed on his shaft and I lowered my head, my hot, moist, and purely intentional exhalations humidifying his lower head. He gripped the couch cushions tightly, so that he did not lay his hands on me. He knew the deal. He was not to touch me unless I gave him strict permission to do so. I eased back the foreskin and brushed his tiny slit with the tip of my tongue. The torturously brief contact caused him to hiss. I smirked, deciding not to tease the poor unfortunate so, and swiftly took his length into my mouth, imbibing him deliberately. He groaned, the utterance music to my ears. My tongue swirled around his cock, which inspissated with his fluids. Only a few more sucks and he would come. His hands trembled violently, and I could tell he desperately wanted to pull my head more onto him.

"Kagome..." he puled. "Please...let me..."

"Let you what?" I said in between sucks.

"Can I...may I...t-touch you? Please, Kagome...?" I sneered inwardly. I remember a few months back, when Bankoutsu actually used to be a playboy--calm, cool, collected. He had bitches begging _him_, but after one night with me...he learned the error of his ways. Now look who's pleading. Exteriorly, I gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Fine...just until you come." I permitted, and in a flash, his hands were threaded in my hair, his legs opened wide, and his eyes crossed in immense pleasure. With a final suck during which I fantasized his cock being a bronze lollipop, he erupted in a plethora of cum, his body vibrating. I gulped down the liquid, licking the remains from his shaft, and his whole manhood softened. He panted lightly, forehead glistening with perspiration. I rose to my feet, smirking at him as I unzipped my dress.

"Now, Bankoutsu, don't tell me you're getting soft on me already...you haven't even been inside of me yet." He gaped at me as I allowed the dress to puddle at my ankles and lifted my feet out of it. I sandwiched my breasts between my shoulders, granting him a lengthy look at my cleavage, hidden by my black strapless lace brassiere, from which I withdrew my Chocolate and placed on the table. His cock erected again as he literally salivated, his eyes hungrily trailing down to my dark blue bikini bottoms. "Take off your shirt." I commanded, and he hastened to do so, tossing the tee haphazardly. "Now ditch the pants and boxers." He did as I said, now standing before me in his naked glory. "Undress me." He crept up behind me, unclasping my bra and freeing my C-cups from their silken incarceration

"Oh, holy fucking hell..." Bankoutsu whispered, hands trembling again as he crouched down to peel off my panties. They soon joined the pile consisting of my bra, and I said simply, "Have your way." I thought the man was going to die of happiness, and snickered in my mind. He placed his face near my inner thighs, inhaling the clean scent. His wet tongue trailed along my pink jewel, making me moan in pleasure. That was as far as I would go; no screaming, no begging, merely moaning. However, even this meager amount was good enough for Bankoutsu, perhaps even better, for he looked quite satisfied with himself and licked my clit again. He gently placed me on the floor, situating himself atop me, his dick jutting into my gut. I whispered three words that brought the foreplay to an abrupt halt: "Fuck me, Bankoutsu..." He commenced mercilessly pounding into my nether orifice, fingers gripping my forearms tightly. Inwardly, I grimaced disapprovingly at the pain, but did not let it show. I would rebuke him about it afterward...I acted out moans at the right times, then when Bankoutsu looked as if he were about to climax again, I hyped myself up for it, too. His released was accompanied by the screaming of my name, while I gave a loud moan. It was actually a yawn, but I made it work. His chest heaved as he collapsed beside me, sweating profusely. I got up and headed for the bathroom to clean myself of his _premature _ejaculation, then when I returned to the living room, Bankoutsu was still prone. I suspected that he, with his moderate stamina, was tired out. I changed back into my clothing, smoothing out the slight wrinkles with a dignified air about me, and sniffed distastefully at Bankoutsu, picking up my cell phone and hooking it onto the collar of my dress.

"Bankoutsu, sweetie..." His reply was muffled by the carpet. "I don't mean to be a spoilsport, but...what were you doing, grasping me so firmly?" His head shot up, eyes wide in alarm.

"I...I did?" I showed him the faintly crimson welts on my arms where his fingers had been, cocking my eyebrow. "Oh, my Kami--I am _so _sorry about that, Kagome, I swear, I didn't mean to do that to you."

"Hmm. I'm sure you didn't." I said, obviously disbelievingly. "You know, I think I'm going to go, Bankoutsu." My cell buzzed and I looked at the screen. It read "Suikoutsu" and I smirked. "Perhaps your brother has a bigger dick than you, anyhow...There's just something about those bipolar guys that gets me so _hot_." Bankoutsu shouted my name frantically as I made for the door, him trying to leap into his boxers and tripping onto his cock.

"Wait, Kagome! I can be bipolar! I-I can get a bigger dick, too! I have a pump in my room! KAGOME!" Before I closed the door on him, I sneered, "Oh, and Mr. Premature Ejaculator? _I faked it_."

His cry of despair could be heard even through the metal door.

-

My assumptions in Suikoutsu's manhood size were proven correct--three times, in fact. He really did drive me wild with his violent mood swings. He invited me into his house with the politeness of a human male, but once I'd taken off my clothes, he attacked me with an animalistic, even _demonic _lust, despite his wholly ningen heritage. After the first round--during which he was quite adroit in maneuvering his cock--he was as sweet as a lamb, going slowly, so as to heighten the gratification I felt. However, I wasn't sure which I liked better--sweet and gentle Suikoutsu, or hard and rough Suikoutsu. In any event, he sexually satisfied me much better than his brother. As he drank--literally--from my honeycomb, I entertained the idea of he and his other brother, Kyoukoutsu, having a threesome with me. Kyoukoutsu was bigger than both Suikoutsu _and _Bankoutsu, so his dick was bound to be, too. He had muscles for straight days, and a tongue that could make almost any girl scream; I knew from experience. There were actually seven brothers--Bankoutsu, Suikoutsu, Kyoukoutsu, Renkoutsu, Mukoutsu, Jakoutsu, and Ginkoutsu. I've copulated with most of them at least once before, and the only exceptions are Jakoutsu and Mukoutsu. Mukoutsu is a middle-aged man, obviously much too old for me, and Jakoutsu was...ahem...well, just plain _gay_. He liked males almost as much as I did, which made it easy for me to converse with him about certain matters. We were friends, and he was the only male near my age that I knew and was not having or had not had sex with. Sometimes, people would mistake him for a woman, which was a very easy mistake to make. Jakoutsu was transgendered. We'd stroll up and down the sidewalks, scoping out men worthy of being fucked. Of course, once the man found out about Jakoutsu's cock, he ran away screaming bloody murder.

"Mmm...Sui-kun," I purred sweetly as we lay side by side in his bed, having had sex for the fourth time now. He was the only person I used that affectionate honorific for. "That was..._incredible_." He chuckled in response.

"I take it I'm much bigger in size than my brother, huh?" he said, referring to Bankoutsu.

"He's _cockless _compared to you." Men like Suikoutsu enjoyed compliments, and never missed a chance to accept them.

"Why, thank you, Kagome." He grinned proudly. I let a jaw-cracking yawn escape my lips and my eyelids drooped slightly. I felt extremely lazy, as I always did after sex with Suikoutsu. "Maybe you should go to sleep...?" I waved him off as another yawn slipped out.

"Sleep? No. I'll sleep when I'm dead. Right now...I'm hungry."

"For me?"

"For food, actually." I said, swinging my feet over the side of the bed and getting up.

"Ah..." he murmured, and as I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, I could tell he was staring at my backside. I rotated it for him, and his cock hardened again under the blanket. I laughed lightly. "Kagome, how about I take you somewhere to eat? I know this great Italian restaurant, around--" I held up my hand to silence him, but I could somewhat sense his confusion.

"Ah-ha-ha...that would indeed be nice, Suikoutsu, but...I don't think so."

"Huh?"

"I can't get too attached to one person, Suikoutsu, you know that. And while you would be one of the top twenty choices were I in such a situation, I just can't allow you to take me on a...a _date_, as if I were a regular girlfriend. I'm truly sorry." I was heading for my clothing, but he scrambled out of bed, lightly grabbing my wrist and spinning me around to face him. He'd never been so rough with me out of sex, and I was about to tell him off about it, until I saw the pleading look on his face. I blinked, appalled, but not in a disgusted way.

"Kagome, _please_...it-it doesn't have to be a date...it's just two people going to fulfill a primary need."

"If _that's _the case, then we might as well just stay here." I chuckled.

"Kagome...could you please,_ please_ just come with me? I swear, it won't take any more than half an hour, at best, and I'll even drop you off wherever you want to go." I quirked a suspicious eyebrow at him.

"And if I get a phone call from another man, you'll drop me off at their place?" I knew that this was a hard topic for Suikoutsu, and I could see it in the way he averted eye contact when he muttered his assent. So I gave him a hug, something I very rarely did, even in Suikoutsu's case, and he was obviously surprised. I even allowed him to hug me back. I think he's in love with me or something. But suffice it to say, he isn't the first, only, and sure won't be the last one. My feelings for him, in all honesty, aside from lust, were somewhere along the lines of affection. I would never admit it to him, though, but he might've known anyway.

"Okay, okay, you big lunk." I said friendlily. "Fine. Luckily for you, I happen to like Italian food." His beaming smile was enough to brighten my day even more.

Disclaimer: I'm not rich, I'm not Japanese, and my name sure as hell ain't Rumiko Takahashi, so I don't own Inuyasha.

Since I haven't been getting many reviews for this story, much to my displeasure and shock, I blame it on the title, the meaning of which some may not comprehend at first glance, so that is why I have changed it to what it is now--_A Body She Couldn't Control. _Sounds more catchy, no? But if _not_...then I'll be changing it. Again. Review, please!


	2. Chapter 2

As it happens, I actually had an enjoyable time with Suikoutsu. The name of the restaurant was _La Plaza de Pasta Magnifico_, a rather braggy title, but it was true. It was a little outside restaurant, and there were musicians playing soft Italian music in the background, to give the place a kind of _Lady and the Tramp_ outlook. I ate all that I could without coming off as a total glutton. After the meal, I dabbed at my mouth with my napkin and grinned at Suikoutsu, who had eaten nothing, only stared at me with a sort of dreamy look on his face. He truly was lucky, for though I'd had plenty of offers, I'd never let any man take me out to eat--aside from Jakoutsu, of course--and he was the first.

"Kagome, thank you again for letting me bring you here."

"Oh, it was nothing. Hell, if I get to eat food like this, I'll let you take me out every day." I joked, and he laughed. So far, I hadn't gotten any rings from any men yet, and even if I did, I might've ignored them. That was probably part of why Suikoutsu was so happy.

"So, uh...are you ready to go? I could take you home if you want." Though the thought of being back at my condo was quite appealing, I didn't feel like being there by myself. I figured that I could use a little girl time with Jakoutsu, so I said, "Yes, thank you, Sui-kun. I had a great time with you this afternoon." He seemed proud of himself, then clasped my hands in his, further startling me.

"Um...Kagome...I-I know you don't...well, you probably don't return these feelings, but...ever since I met you, I've always thought, "What a beautiful woman. She's so perfect." You're always on my mind, and you've stolen my heart. You are the only woman I've ever had feelings this...this _intense_ for. What-what I'm trying to say, Kagome, is...I...I love you." I was touched by his words, honestly, I was, and I was about to tell him that I cared for him, too, but then...the worst possible thing happened.

My cell phone went off.

I stared at the dreadful little device, then back at Suikoutsu, who completely face-faulted, and released my hands. He got to his feet, sliding in his chair, and coming over to me with a sigh.

"Whoever he is, I'll take you to him, Kagome." He said quietly. My heart broke for the poor guy, it really did. I nodded somewhat shakily and looked at my cell screen. Damn it all...it was Kouga. Another hopeless romantic. I sighed.

"Uh...it's okay, Suikoutsu. Just take me home, please." He regarded me quizzically, much like a puppy. I resisted the urge to giggle.

"Huh?"

"I don't feel like going to him right now."

"Oh...okay, then..." Spirits evidently uplifted, even if only sightly, he helped me out of my chair, and we left.

* * *

When Suikoutsu had dropped me off at my condo, it was three, four hours after I'd left this morning. He went out of his way to get out and open the door for me, as if it really was a date. I believe he wished it were. He took my hand and kissed the back of it.

"Goodbye, Sui-kun." I smiled. When he got back in his car, he smiled back.

"Thank you, Kagome..." Before I could question this, he was gone. I blinked, but shook my head and walked inside my home.

As soon as I got in the condo, I took off my dress and boots and put the boots in my closet, the dress in my dirty clothes hamper. There was just something about walking around your house half naked, especially when you were alone there. However, alone is not my strong suit, so I called up Jakoutsu-chan on my house phone. After three rings, his very feminine voice sang out, "Hellooo?"

"Hi, Ja-chan!" I grinned.

"Kago-chan!" he squealed. "Hi, girl! How are you doing?"

"I just got back from being with your brother."

"Which one?" he teased.

"Suikoutsu. Before him, it was Bankoutsu, but he was annoying me, so I had to leave."

"(sigh) Of course _he _had to be the oddball. I swear, I love my little brother dearly, but..."

"Jakoutsu, why don't you come over? We can have some girl time and eat French vanilla ice cream straight from the carton."

"Ooh...French vanilla?! Why didn't you say so? Of course, I'll be right there."

"Oh, and don't forget the movie, either."

"Movie of the Month: _Down With Love_! Noted."

"Okay, bye-bye, Ja-chan."

"See ya later, Kago-chan." We hung up, and I skipped into my bedroom to throw on some clothes. Even though Jakoutsu was gay, I never allowed a man to see my body beyond outer clothing unless we were getting ready to have sex afterward. As I slowed, I approached my rotating, full-sized mirror and flipped its side to reveal a large picture of...I sighed wistfully.

Even though he was the cause of my nymphomania, I couldn't help but still love him regardless, want him, long for him...I remembered with an almost startling clarity. Back when I was sixteen...an awkward girl, undeveloped, bowlegged, with glasses _and _braces--basically a nerd, and the biggest one of my kind.

I was in love with him ever since _junior _high, and in our sophomore year, he took my virginity. It was the best two minutes of my life, and I thought he loved me, too. After the whole thing, he'd said to me, "I'll call you tomorrow." I didn't take into account the fact that I'd never even given him my number, and I waited in vain for the call. It took me three entire months to approach him about the call, and when I did, he was locking lips with another girl, a woman compared to me at the time. I was hurt, of course, especially when he scoffed and sneered that he had no reason to call me; that I was just an easy hundred dollars to him. It was all a bet, and he never wanted to see my ugly face again. The really bad thing about it was that he'd said it in front of practically the whole school, embarrassing me to no end.

I had psychologically disturbing moments throughout my high school career, and it was the summer of my high school graduation that I had a mental breakdown. It was at my grandfather's funeral.

In the end, it happened that I'd inherited six hundred million dollars, money I didn't even know the old man had with his shrine business. So I got all of the necessary surgeries--my teeth got fixed, my eyes corrected, legs straightened out. With this new transformation, I didn't even have to get breast implants; they grew rapidly, along with my self-confidence.

Soon enough, men were becoming attracted to me like flies, and I _liked _it. The therapist that I used to regularly visit faded from my life, her last declaration being that I was a nymphomaniac, and I had to be treated. I always scoffed at it. Why did I have to be treated for being sexy? My reputation as a nympho stuck and even expanded throughout my transition into adulthood. But I never stopped loving Inuyasha Hatakushi. I had futile hopes of him returning into my life, which I knew were unhealthy, but I honestly couldn't help it. I put a barrier around my heart with other men, and so far, none have been able to even chip at it--except Suikoutsu, but his changes were minor, at best. I don't love him, I only care about him. Only Inuyasha could bring down that barricade, and it seemed he never would. I sighed once more, feeling humidity overtake my eyes, and I swiped at the tears that did not yet fall.

I selected a tank and a pair of shorts from my drawer to wear. I decided that, after the movie, Jakoutsu and I would head down to the beach, perhaps to check out a few men. I told him to say that he was celibate or something, but foreplay technically count as sex, but he declined, stating, "What's the fun of men if we can't fuck their brains out?" I had laughed, seeing the truth of her--_his _words. Like I said, it's easy to mistake him for a woman. As I prepared the DVD player for Jakoutsu's arrival, a voice purred inside my brain: _You do not need him...you have others._ I sighed again. This voice had been plaguing my mind ever since my nervous breakdown. She was a youkai, apparently of canine descent, named Seimegami--_sex goddess_. Her voice was faint when I first experienced her presence, but once I began acting out my nymphomania, it got clearer and clearer until it got to the point where I regarded Seimegami as a part of me.

"Of course _you _don't think that--you're the sex goddess." I scoffed.

_Correction: **you **are the sex goddess, Kagome. You enact what I would do. _I emitted a haughty sniff. _Do you really think that you would have the confidence to be what you are if it were not for me?_

"Hmm."

_If it weren't for me, you would still be a gawky little girl, pining over a man who doesn't want you._

I deflated like a punctured balloon, acknowledging her truth.

"Yes...I guess you're right. I suppose you also want a thanks in return, do you?"

_It would be appreciated._

I simply rolled my eyes. There was a knock at the door, and I trotted over to it.

"Yes?" I called sweetly. "Who, may I ask, is it?"

"It's Kouga." A grinning voice on the other side sing-sang. I shook my head with a small smile and opened the door.

"Hello, Kouga." I smiled, accepting his beautiful chrysanthemums. "Come on in." He strolled in after me, closing the door.

"As always, your place looks exquisite, just like you." He grinned.

"Why, thank you." I said proudly, placing his flowers in a vase. I led him to the bedroom, and panicked instantly when I noticed the huge picture of Inuyasha in plain sight for Kouga to see. I dashed over to it, just as Kouga entered my room.

"Kagome? Are you okay?" he inquired. I laughed nervously, nodding my assent.

"Yeah, it's...it's fine!" I lied, quickly flipping the mirror. He blinked, then chuckled, sitting on my bed.

"I don't think I'll ever understand you, woman, you know that?" he sighed contently. My heart gradually slowing, I closed and locked my door and joined him on the bed, kneeling behind him.

"I'm never to be understood. I am a mystical being, beyond the comprehension of any youkai or ningen." I intentionally disregarded the central race, Inuyasha being a hanyou, and I didn't particularly feel like thinking about him when I was about to have sex with Kouga. Still...when I looped my arms around his waist, my hands creeping down his loose-fitting pants and seizing his cock, I couldn't help but imagine the feel of Inuyasha's own cock. I committed every feel of him to memory, and looking back on it now, I didn't quite have enough time to do so, it would seem. Yet I felt as if Inuyasha had slept with me just this morning. I pulled down Kouga's pants and boxershorts, my deluded mind seeing, instead of Kouga's bronzed legs, Inuyasha's lighter skinned ones; instead of Kouga's rather dark dick, Inuyasha's palish one.

_Yes...Yes, Kagome, fuel your passion... _I indistinctly heard Seimegami hum, and I felt my eyes change in hue to what I knew were Seimegami's own amethyst orbs. The hair that already hung past my shoulders lengthened as it too lightened to an indigo chromaticity, a far cry from its usual raven. My ears extended about two inches in length, giving them a rather elfish look. This was Seimegami's doing, and it wasn't exactly _rare_, whereas it was anything but frequent. The metamorphosis only occurred when my emotions were at their peak, so when I was really angry or just quite horny, that's what would happen. It brought out, quite literally, the sex goddess in me. Kouga obviously noticed my change, because he gasped and turned towards me, his cock hardening even further at the inuyoukai I had become.

"K...Kagome?" he whispered, apparently awed.

"Shh...say nothing." I croaked doggishly. I lifted his shirt above his head, admiring the sculpted torso which I so deliriously saw as Inuyasha's. I could tell that my new canine appearance was bringing out the wolf in him, as his eyes darkened in color and his dick seemed to enlarge. I slammed him down on the bed, chest heaving with carnal satyriasis.

I ripped away my own clothes with newly developed ivory claws, staring down at him hungrily and my nipples stiffening in anticipation. His member throbbed in such a manner that it surely pained him, but the pain was evidently stifled by his own lust. I hunkered down and straightened out my legs, his cock now filling my crevice. We both growled salaciously, grinding our hips together until he could occupy me no further. I thrust him against me with a celerity possessed only by Seimegami, a rapidity that I could never exhibit on my own.

We peaked concurrently, Kouga's fluids blasting into me with such volume that it dripped from me, but unable to impregnate me. He and I wrawled like the animals we currently were, signaling our sexual gratification. With a strength neither I or Seimegami expected from one so spent, Kouga flipped our positions, me ending up prone. He plummeted his cock into my fundament, my monochromic eyes widening in surprise, and I let out an involuntary howl of pleasure. I had never been in this position before, because of Seimegami's blatant refusal to let anyone other than a canine do this to me. I gripped the headboard tightly, my claws ripping through the lacquered wood and scraping it. I didn't care; I wanted Kouga so badly, nothing else mattered to me. The sound of Kouga's hips smacking my ample posterior reached my ears, heightening my delectation by so much.

Soon after, we reached our climaxes again, but this time, mine was thundered Inuyasha's name, manifestly surprising Kouga. As I lay divaricated, panting and sweating from my climax, Kouga rolled off to the side of me, questioning--with more than a hint of jealousy, I detected with Seimegami's expert scenting abilities--, "Who's Inuyasha?" I was too exhausted to panic this time, and chose not to answer. "Kagome. Answer me--_who in the hell is Inuyasha_?" Now, this tone I would not tolerate, especially when Inuyasha was under discussion. I scraped up the strength to roll onto my back, glaring at him.

"Don't fucking talk to me like that, Kouga." His eyes broadened moderately, in alarm, and he attempted to apologize, but I silenced him, narrowing my menacing orbs. "No, I don't want your apologies. You don't fucking _own _me, Kouga. We're not mates." I mentally caught the slip, influenced by my doggish puppeteer. "If I want to have different lovers, it's my goddamned business. I _know _you smelled other males on me when you walked in here." He averted his gaze guiltily. "That's what I thought."

"I-I'm sorry, Kagome, I just...I wanted you to be...be my bitch." He admitted. Being that I was now technically a bitch anyway, I took no offense from the statement. "I love you, Kagome." To myself, I smirked. Two confessions of love in one day? Hot damn, I was on a roll.

I didn't want to sound cruel or inconsiderate, so I sighed lightly and said, "Kouga...my feelings for you are...indeterminate. I'm stuck between wavering lust and slight affection, but love is all the way on the other end of the spectrum. I'm sorry." He looked at me with pleading eyes, eyes that were now fading back to their sky blue.

"So...you don't return my feelings?" I felt slightly conscience-smitten. Why couldn't he be more like Suikoutsu and just accept that I didn't love him?

"No." I said plainly, but not in a cold manner. "I really do apologize, though, Kouga." He let out a long-suffering exhalation, and managed a wan smile.

"Eh...it's okay. But we can still be booty buddies, right?" he joked. I laughed, feeling my guiltiness wither away.

"Sure. Now get your booty out of here." I grinned, smacking his buttocks playfully. He growled pruriently, waggling his eyebrows at me.

"Alright, now...don't be getting me all hard and horny again..." His cock suggested that this was more than a possibility. "I might just have to sodomize you again."

"Ooh..." I purred, licking the sweat from his chest. His rod shot up straight, and his eyes kicked back into full overdrive. "Sodomize me, Kouga, _sodomize me_..." He leaped atop me and it was on once more.


	3. Chapter 3

It was about five o'clock when Kouga had left. As I sat content in my nearly desecrated bed, I bolted upright with the realization that I'd forgotten all about Jakoutsu. I swore, still not completely reverted to normality, and stripped my bed of its cum-stained fabrics. I took a quick shower, put on a completely new wardrobe, and made a mad dash for the phone to call and beg his forgiveness. However, as soon as I reached it, it rang. I blinked, checking the caller ID, and it was actually Jakoutsu. I hesitantly picked up the phone, disguising my voice to the growl that Seimegami was accustomed to.

"Hello?" I barked quizzically.

"Oh, hello, may I speak to_ Kagome_, stop trying to disguise your voice!" Jakoutsu accused. I dropped the growl for a more suitable whine.

"I'm sorry, Jakoutsu! It's just...well, _Kouga _came by, just when I was looking at Inuyasha's picture, and..." The man on the other line groaned.

"Honey, you need to get over that man. Because it's for damn sure he ain't thinking about you the way you're thinking about him."

"Jakoutsu, you don't understand...I _idolize _Inuyasha. And...I know that if he were to see me _now_..."

"He'd love you too?" Jakoutsu sighed out the response I'd been giving for nearly two years now. "Kagome, if he was that way in high school, what makes you think he's changed now? He'd probably have a one-night stand with you, then just leave you. Please, sweetie, if only for the sake of your sanity, forget about him."

"I wish I could...maybe if I could, stupid Seimegami wouldn't inhabit my body and make me turn into this killer inuyoukai!" I said loudly.

_(yawn) Hmm? What? I'm sorry, were you talking about me?_

"Ugh...she's a lazy bitch!"

_True._

"True."

"She does nothing but stay up in my mind and talk shit, and if she's not talking shit, she's making me fuck!" I could almost hear Jakoutsu's eyes rolling.

"Kagome, you belittle too much of a good thing. Hell, if Seimegami cohabited _my _body...do you know what I would be doing to men? I almost shudder to think of all that sex. I'd probably wear the sama out anyway. Heh." He smirked. I laughed, feeling better again.

"Typical Jakoutsu..."

"You're damn right! So...are we still on for the girl time thing?"

"Um...actually, I have to hit up the laundromat right now, but I'll call you when I get back home. Hmm...even though I'm youkai right now, I don't feel like lugging a huge sack of laundry around...tell your brother to come over here."

"Which one?" Jakoutsu teased. Deja vu is a bitch.

"Uh..." I pretended to think. "D'you think I should ask Kyoukoutsu or Ginkoutsu?"

"Preferably Gin-kun."

"Okay. Call him and tell 'im to drop or stop whatever he's doing and come over here right away. Ooh, ooh--tell him it's _urgent_." I grinned, emphasizing the last word with a suggestive moan. Jakoutsu hooted with laughter.

"I know he'll come running then! Okay, bye, Kagome-chan!"

"G'bye, Jakoutsu." I snickered, hanging up. Feeling exceptionally better, I went into my kitchen to retrieve a garbage bag from the stillroom. I skipped back to the bedroom and stuffed the comforter and subsequent linens into the bag, tying it up and putting it at my door while I slipped into a pair of black heels. I wore a tank top, the Applebottoms logo splattered across the black polyester in gold, and a pair of size zero Applebottoms jeans to match. I'd considered my boots that came up to half my leg, but I figured that it might be a bit too warm for that. It seemed that, here on the Ryukyu Islands, even the nights were humid, especially during summer. Only in winter was it brutally cold. I strapped on a watch. Tonight was Saturday, which meant that I was going to count up how many men stared at me and approached me. Since I was now inuyoukai, it also meant that I could detect who all was aroused. I smirked to myself. Being a sexual deviant did have its perks in the area of self-confidence.

_Not that you need any more..._

"Oh, shut up, Seimegami. I'm not particularly feeling up to your bitching right now." I yawned, my fangs showing in a rather menacing manner.

_(offended scoff) Well, ex-**cuse **my demonism! Just completely disregard the woman who made you who you are today!_

"You're damn right that's what I'm gonna do."

_Hmph. **Well**. A bit more sacrilegious when you're a youkai._

"Maybe it's more the fact that I'm an _inu_youkai, and therefore a bitch, characterizing my sacrilegiousness." I justified, taking immense satisfaction from the fact that Seimegami was pretty much speechlessI smirked. "That's just what I thought." After I'd retrieved my little sack of quarters, there came a knock at my door and I bounded over to it. "Yes?" I sang.

"It's me, Kagome!" Ginkoutsu's gruff voice called back. I happily opened the door, embracing Ginkoutsu.

"Hi, Gin."

"Uh, Jakoutsu said it was urgent." He waggled his rather bushy eyebrows suggestively.

"(chuckles) It is...close your eyes and hold out your hands..." I purred, and he did so eagerly. He looked surprised when I dumped the bag of laundry in his hands. He blinked.

"What is this, a bag of sex toys or something? I didn't know you were into that...or role playing. You look almost youkai, Kagome."

"No, it's not a bag of sex toys, no, I'm not generally into that--though I might be if I were provoked properly--, and I'm not role playing. I _am _a youkai; for the time being, anyway. Don't ask questions."

"Heh...now you really are a sex kitten." He joked. I growled.

_Hey! She isn't a **cat**! _Seimegami spat. I voiced her protest in the first person, following with, "I need you to take me to the laundromat." When he looked just slightly hesitant, I added, "And when we get back, I'll let you christen the sheets with me..."

"Hey, what're we waiting for?! Let's go!" I smirked. I knew that would get him. Typical male.

-

The laundromat only a few miles away from where I lived was easily within walking distance, but I didn't exactly feel like walking with the big bag in heels around nighttime. It just wasn't safe, what with there being much stronger and much lustier youkai out there than myself, in terms of males. So under the protection of Ginkoutsu in his Subaru, we made it there in no time flat, almost literally. I told him to come back in about an hour, and he skidded off.

As I'd predicted, upon my entrance, most male eyes struck onto me. I did my best to ignore them, but the scents of arousal wafting my way were very distracting. I got myself situated at a machine and opened it up. I heard many words directed towards me, under people's breath. The youkai and hanyous there knew quite well what I was, and obviously chose to remain silent, for I would hear, but the humans were not so smart.

"Youkai bitch..."

_What's with people stating the obvious these days?_

"Whore..."

_Oh, now, come on. I smell more men on you than I've fucked before._

"Slut..."

_Talk about the pot calling the kettle black..._

"God, she's gorgeous..."

"I'd cheat on all three of my girlfriends for a piece of _that _ass..."

"Just give me three minutes...maybe even four...she'll be wanting to _mate _a demon." I smirked to myself, doing a quick scan of the males in the crowd.

Admittedly, a good bit of them looked like damn good catches. A few of them were in their underwear, washing the clothes they'd worn to come here, and I could see how big their cocks were. I felt slightly damp just thinking about them, but it might've been the spinning water getting to me. It made me a bit dizzy, truth be told, but I was still distracted.

Aside from the mumbling humans, there were also some youkai that appeared to be giving me the eye. I even saw a neko in his boxers blowing a kiss my way.

**_EW! DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! THAT IS SO DISGUSTING!_**

I snickered to myself at Seimegami's revulsion, which was quite justifiable, considering that she was inuyoukai. But _still_...that neko was cute as all hell. Maybe I'd hit him up once I was human again. As women passed by me, they shot me envious glares. I simply smiled and waved hello. Once my comforter was done, most of the women were gone, and now, the laundromat was predominantly male. That was when it began.

Dudes in their drawers practically lined up to talk to me. The neko, whose name I later found out was Kishiroukou, slipped me his number, purring in my ear words that I never thought could be so sexually stimulating, rolling off of the rough tongue of a feline. That man had me wanting to try masochism. Seimegami wasn't talking to me anymore, probably pissed that I was flirting with Kishiroukou. Soon, it came time for me to leave, sadly, but I figured that, instead of doing my other washables at home, I'd come back here tomorrow--that is, if my schedule wasn't too busy. Perhaps I'd call up Kishiroukou...

As I walked outside to wait for Ginkoutsu to come back--I was about fifteen minutes early--I decided to sit on the bench. It was already dark out, and a breeze blew that made me feel like taking off my shirt and jeans and just walking around in my lingerie. However, since I had just a tad bit more decency than that--literally--I didn't, and simply awaited Ginkoutsu's arrival. A red Maxima pulled up around five minutes after I'd come outside, and a man with long black hair, yet eyes similar to mine, stepped out of it. I found myself staring drop-jawed at him.

He was one of the finest specimens of ningen I'd ever sighted in my life, and I'd be damned if he wasn't going to be mine tonight. I approached him, a more noticeable hitch in my swagger as I did, and chuckled, "Hi there. Would you like to get acquainted?" He raised an eyebrow at me, looking me up and down, and while I could tell he was interested, he nevertheless said, "Uh, no thanks. I only have quarters. Sorry." And he lightly shoved me aside, leaving me stunned. Was--was he implying that I was a _prostitute_?! I ran up behind him, grabbing his wrist with a clawed hand, and turned him around to face me. "Hey, look, lady, I don't have time for this, okay? I got somebody I gotta pick up in here."

"I'm sorry, but...did you just suggest that I was a streetwalker?" He blinked, then droned, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Well, ya look like one, you walk like one, you act like one, and you even sound like one. The only thing missing is the hovering pimp." My eyebrow twitched as I gritted out, "I'm no prostitute, okay? I am simply a voluptuous woman who is awaiting a male." I paused. "That didn't come out right."

"Yeah...sure it didn't." During the pause, I had taken time out to discreetly take a whiff of him and commit the scent to memory.

"Is something wrong with you? I mean..._look at me_! I'm hot! I'm an inuyoukai, and I had a _neko _in there barking up my tree." He looked amused.

"I didn't know nekos could bark." He chuckled.

"You know what I mean!" I was getting very perturbed. "Look...there's no logical reason you shouldn't be attracted to me." A mental image of Jakoutsu flashed in my head and I emitted a small gasp, clapping a hand to my mouth. He regarded me strangely. "Oh, my God...I'm so sorry...you're...you're _gay_, aren't you?" He laughed richly.

"Very humorous. But no, as it happens, that isn't the case. I'm actually with someone." I gave him a skeptical look.

"Girl or man? Because if it's a man, I can make that work."

"Heh. No. I'm with a woman."

"Uh..._huh_. You sure? Because I have a transgendered male friend, and anyone could be fooled." He laughed again.

"Positive."

"Well...I mean...haven't you ever considered adultery?" He looked at her dryly.

"You mean unfaithfulness."

"...Yeah."

"Falseness."

"..."

"Treason, treachery, traitorousness, betrayal, disloyalty, perfidy...in other words, you want I should disobey the Bible and its Ten Commandments?" I shuffled my feet, slightly nervous as to how this human was so analytical of me.

"Well...it wouldn't really matter if you weren't a Christian...are you?"

"Ha, ha, ha...no." I blinked, now somewhat confused.

"So what's keeping you?"

"The affection I feel for my girlfriend. And my morals. And my sense of honor, duty, and responsibility."

"Aw, c'mon! Affection, morals, honor, duty, responsibility--all that junk is so out of style these days. Be a rebel--break a rule or two sometime!"

"From the looks of it, you've broken a _law _or two."

"Perhaps. What have you heard?" I sniffed. He smirked.

"Thanks for the offer, but...no thanks." A man walked out of the laundromat, clothes in hand, and I recognized him as one of the more lecherous guys pushing up on me.

"Yash...how you doing, man?" he grinned, clapping his friend on his back.

"Get in the car, Miroku. No "how you doing, man?" around here, as long as you kept me waiting. Got hoes jocking me out here..." he grumbled, getting in the front seat. Miroku eyed me again before getting in the passenger's side. I angrily padded back to the bench, awaiting Ginkoutsu. The nerve of that...that _Yash _guy! Who the hell does he think he is, calling me a whore?! And in front of a potential sex buddy, too! This is of very epic proportions, right here. Never have I met a man that I wanted who outright _rejected _me like that! Hell, he was nothing but a human; if we'd've kept talking, I'd've raped his pretty pussy ass right out here. Keh. _Must _be gay. He pulled off. I glared at his car and scooped up a pebble, tossing it at the rear window. It hit, but it was weak, and I doubt he even noticed it. I felt like throwing a temper tantrum out here, like a child, but hell, that's how I felt! Rejected...the last person who ever rejected me...

Flashes of Inuyasha sped through my mind in rapid succession, and I sat there in a daze, staring at nothing in particular. All I saw were the images of Inuyasha...him approaching me after the football game, which our side won...him touching parts of me that I'd never imagined could be touched before...him driving his merciless dick through my maidenhead without a second thought...when I cried from the pain, he never even bothered to comfort me...he said he'd call me back...he said he'd _call me back_...

My demonic youki, which I had previously felt fading, flared back up with a passion I'd never experienced before. When Ginkoutsu pulled up, I felt as if I were an outsider; a spectator watching my own actions from the sidelines. I didn't fully realize that I'd gotten into the car, staring forward and seemingly ignoring Ginkoutsu's concerned questions of what was wrong with me. It didn't matter; it wasn't like I could've told him, anyway. He dropped me off at the condo, and, knowing that I was in a rather robotic mood, simply bade me goodnight and left. I walked through my door, making up my bed with an automation that just simply was not me. I lay in the bed, eyes wide open, limbs spread as far apart as my body would permit. My heart beat rapidly as I frantically made a jumbled slide show of every man I remember ever seeing naked, my neurotic and broken psyche replacing their heads with Inuyasha's silver-maned one.

And suddenly...

I _knew _what I was. I _knew _what I was doing, and that it wasn't right. I _knew _that I had an unhealthy obsession with Inuyasha. I _knew _that I only wanted to be...to be _wanted_.

But I knew I couldn't do anything about it.

This quote was originally from "Friday," stated by Chris Tucker. His exact words: "Gimme three minutes...maybe even fo'...she'll be wantin' to _marry _a nigga." Obviously, I changed up a couple words to suit the situation better. I do not own Friday, nor do I own Chris Tucker. If I did, I'd put his ass in Friday After Friday After Next. Heh.


	4. Chapter 4

FNC: This chapter is dedicated to BlackParade, whose review was so descriptive that it brought out the songstress in me when I replied to it, using my ingenious rhyming skill(which you are so jealous of, Clouds in the Sky...but I still love ya!).

HAH! I _knew _I'd get more reviews that way!!!!!!! YEAH! Why didn't I think of that before?! Anyway...keep reviewing! Jeez...I didn't expect to update so fast, but...I mean...

* * *

I felt as if something in me had shattered into a million tiny pieces. I tried to shake it away, but only succeeding in making a lot of noise. I hyperventilated uncontrollably, rushing all over the house for a paper bag in which to breathe, hopefully more easily. But with my frayed youkai nerves, all I managed to do was bust the bag. I snatched up the phone, dialing Jakoutsu with shaky fingers. I prayed that he wasn't asleep, though it wasn't likely--it was only eight.

"Hello?" His friendly voice answered after the second ring.

"Jakoutsu..." I trembled, on the verge of tears.

"Kagome? Honey, is this you? Are you okay?" he asked instantly. In a better situation, I'd be touched at his concern, but right now, I couldn't.

"I...I had...another mental breakdown..."

"Oh, Lord...I'll be right over there, sweetheart, just...stay put. Okay?" I nodded, not taking into account that he couldn't see me, but then saying quietly, "Yes..." and hanging up. I felt extremely sick to my stomach, and though I wasn't a _dipsomaniac_, I wouldn't hesitate to break into the bottle as a substitute for sex when need be. This time was definitely no exception, as I flung open my pantry and pulled out a jug of sake. I snapped off the cork with my bare hands, a feat only accomplishable with my youkai strength, and guzzled the liquid. It burned my throat horribly, but I accepted the physical pain, a welcome change from the mental and emotional pain I still experienced.

If only Inuyasha knew how much pain he caused me...every time I thought about him, my life hung in the balance. The mere image of him triggered an intractable barrage of psychological conundrums within my subconscious. I gave a hard swallow of the rice liquor, hoping that my memories of Inuyasha were among the brain cells being slaughtered by the alcohol I now consumed.

"Seimegami...you were right...I...I'm nothing without you. Please...help me..." It seemed that even the goddess of sex was not without compassion and pity.

_Do not belittle yourself, Kagome. If not for...**him**...you would be quite the woman, even without my presence._

"No, I _wouldn't_!" I cried, my indigo orbs dripping tears. I hadn't cried in over three years, but now seemed like the perfect time to restart. "I would still be bowlegged, nerdy, flat-chested Kagome! I don't _want _to be her anymore! I never want to be her again! Hell, I would probably be even worse!"

_How so?_

"Because...even though he...played me..." I choked in between sobs, "he gave me a semblance of confidence...that maybe I _was _somebody. I _did _need him. I've always needed him. I...I love him...and I only wish that he would return my feelings..." My hands gripped the neck of the bottle so tightly that it shattered in my hands, breaking my skin. I bled over the floor, but I didn't care. That pain was _nothing _compared to what I felt inside. I simply got up and pulled out a jug, this time it being straight moonshine. As the mouth brushed against my lips, Jakoutsu rushed in, the door having had been unlocked. He stomped over to me and snatched the bottle from my hand, throwing it out the open door.

"Girl, are you trying to kill yourself?!"

"It doesn't _matter_, Jakoutsu. None of it matters." I brooded sullenly, slumping to the floor in a broken heap. Jakoutsu went over to close the door, as I continued, "He doesn't love me. He never did, and never will, no matter how I look, no matter what I do...I might as well just take up celibacy. What's the point of sex if it's not with the one you love?" Jakoutsu chuckled as he held me in his arms, rubbing my shoulder congenially.

"Darling, I'll tell you now--if you were to go celibate, the suicide rate in Japan would double." I gave him a watery smile.

"Jakoutsu?"

"Yeah?"

"You...if you weren't...well, you know...if you weren't _your _sexuality...would you want me?"

"Of course, no qualms about it, honey!" he grinned. "But while I'm what I am, sorry, but I prefer men."

"That's okay..." I sniffed. "I appreciate your honesty regardless." As he absently wiped a tear from my eye, he mused, "Do you really want to kill yourself, Kagome?"

"...In all honesty? No, not now. Just a moment ago, though, I was feeling pretty fucking suicidal. Good thing you came when you did, or I was gonna down my entire pantry."

"Kagome...I'm not saying that what you do is healthy. But I know you can't help that you're a _sukimono_, any more than I can help being gay. The fact is, you _accept it_. You may not like it very much, but it's fulfilling, at least to a physical extent, and partly emotional. It's true; being nymphomaniacal is just like dipsomania, with sex being the substitute for alcohol." It was like he'd read my mind. "But either way, it's self-destructive. If you're a nymphomaniac, the right amount of sex will kill you emotionally, and you'll be an empty, soulless shell that knows how to do nothing but fuck." I understood where he was coming from, very clearly, and knew that what he spoke was true.

"I know, Jakoutsu, but...the only cure that I can think of is..." I cast my eyes downward, unwilling to bring him up specifically. Jakoutsu empathized, though, and nodded.

"That can't be helped. I'm sure that's the only cure, as well, yet there's nothing to be done about it."

"Maybe...maybe if I lowered my sex intake, the nymphomania would diminish, just a little?" Jakoutsu shook his head.

"If anything, that would strengthen the need. Sex is like...an emotional outlet for your internal pains. If you _don't _do it on a more-than-normal basis, you could end up repressing a lot of emotions that need to be _ex_pressed, in any way possible."

"So, basically, what you're saying is that...I can't do anything about this thing?" Jakoutsu had a truly apologetic look upon his womanly features.

"I'm sorry, Kagome."

"Nah...don't be. Would it help me any if I channeled my love into hate?"

"...Er...I'm not so sure that's very wise, considering your occasional tendency to become demon...you may go on a violent rampage and end up killing a bunch of innocents..." I chuckled.

"Jakoutsu, stay the night with me." I said suddenly.

"Hey, whoa, now...didn't I just get through telling you I favored men?" he joked. I giggled, playfully punching him in the shoulder.

"You know what I'm talking about...big hentai." I rolled my eyes with a grin.

"Yeah, I know. Sure, dollface, I'll stay here. You need me for a picker-upper, and, uh...I'm fresh outta ice cream." I laughed, feeling better again.

* * *

Jakoutsu's overnight stay quickly grew into two weeks, as I found that I depended on the she-male--and I use the term quite affectionately in his case--even more than I thought. We had heart-to-heart pillow talks every night, and we ate ice cream and watched TV and went out and all kinds of things together. Jakoutsu was the best friend I'd ever wish for. I loved him, that I could honestly say. Suffice it to say, however, that I wasn't _in _love with him, but this was a friend kind of love, and it was the highest status any male other than Inuyasha and family, of course, had ever achieved in my life. So, the Friday of the third week Jakoutsu was staying at my house, we decided to go out and handle a bit of laundry. The man that I'd encountered during my previous visit to the laundromat, that Yash guy who'd actuated my nervous breakdown, had never fully evacuated my mind, even once I myself became human again, so I actually found myself looking for him when Jakoutsu and I got there.

"Girl, calm down!" he laughed, stilling me with his hand on my shoulder as I frantically looked around for the second time since we'd arrived. "Are you looking for a sniper or something?" I released my tension with a sigh and smiled at him.

"Nah...I was just being a little jumpy." I waved it off. Today, my clothes weren't as...ahem..._skimpy _as my prior attire. ... I was donning a wide necked medium-sleeved red shirt, snug-fitting, with the word "Princess" written across my breasts in glittering black. I had on a pair of black sweatpants, also close-fitting, and a distich of black, red, and white Jordans. Really, I'd never felt so comfortable in my life, and the great thing about it was that I didn't look sluttish, but I still looked cute in what I called my "laundromat garb." I sat down in a chair, legs crossed, awaiting my clothes' completion. As I hummed a tuneless little ditty, a male voice that I knew rather familiarly said from beside me, "Hey. Hey, aren't you that girl from a few weeks ago?"

"I don't know. You might be anybody from any time ago." I shrugged.

"Heh...the one who kept trying to get me to cheat on my girl."

"Oh, yeah. I remember that. Hmm."

"What, you give up?"

"Eh. If you want to call it that."

"Okay. Well, you'd probably be happy to know that me and her broke up."

"Don't you mean "she and I?"

"…Yeah, whatever. I don't remember you being this articulate last time we met."

"I don't remember being so impassive last time we met. Actually, I seem to recall you calling me a whore. And while I realize that my wardrobe at that time was not the most innocent of wardrobes, you still had no right assuming such offensive things." He smirked.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm sorry for that."

"Thank you." I felt the familiar roaming of eyes on my body, and I shivered mentally, feeling strange.

"Well...your current apparel actually looks better on you." I couldn't suppress a smile and a blush.

"Thanks..." Blushing? When was the last time I'd ever done _that_? "A sweet talker, huh?"

"Not naturally. It just seems that way when I'm around someone so pretty." My blush reddened further.

"Well, look who's just full of compliments..."

"A far cry from the insults, aren't they?"

"Yes, and much more appreciated." I sighed a little. "So...why'd you and your girlfriend break up?" He scoffed, his voice sounding much bitterer.

"Fucking bitch was cheating on me." I was actually surprised. Now wasn't _that _some old bullshit? While I was pressuring him to cheat on _her_, _she _was already busy cheating on _him_! Talk about fucked-up irony.

"What, really?"

"Yeah. Pissed me off so much, I almost hit her...and I'm _not _a violent guy, at least, not when it comes to women."

"Damn. Hey, I feel for you, dude."

"Keh. Hell, I feel for my damn self." He shook his head, as if remembering something. "Whoa. Here I am, spilling my guts over here, and I don't even know your name."

"Kagome." I offered.

"Kagome..." he murmured. "It sounds... familiar...really vaguely familiar."

"It's not exactly common."

"True." he nodded. "Well, in any case...my name's Inuyasha." My eyes stretched to the limits of my eyelids, just as my machine stopped. My heart pounded relentlessly in my stomach, chest, and throat.

"...What did you say?" I said hoarsely.

"My name is Inuyasha." My neck slowly rotated to face him and I think that was when my heart stopped. Quizzical and concerned aureate eyes regarded me...the same golden eyes which were once aloof and uncaring...His hair shone the exact same silver as the hanyou I so loved in the poster on my mirror. I stared at him in horror.

"Ja...J-J-J..." I stammered, stumbling over my best friend's name. "Jakoutsu...!" I got to my feet shakily, almost falling, but Inuyasha caught me in the same hands that gripped my hips five years ago...I wrenched out of his grasp, landing on my behind and cowering away from him.

"Kagome, are you okay?!" he asked anxiously. Jakoutsu ran to my side, asking the exact same question Inuyasha had. "I just asked that, idiot!" Jakoutsu didn't even spare him a glance.

"Baby girl, what's wrong?" Jakoutsu cooed, rubbing my back.

"Inu...Inuyasha..." I croaked, pointing with a trembling finger to the man who had caused me to go through so much in the last five years...then I fainted.

* * *

(I was _considering _leaving it here...but...I'm not that mean a person, so I'll go on for about a page or two more, okay?)

* * *

I heard voices.

"Boy, this is all your fault! Damn! Why must it always be the fault of the cute ones?"

"Look, you crazy homo, concentrate on the task at hand!"

"My _name _is Jakoutsu, and I don't care how cute you are, but you won't be talking to me like that. Don't let this talk fool you."

"What the hell _ever_! Is she coming to?"

"She would if you wasn't here."

"I _have _to be here!"

"You wasn't here for five years, so why the hell you here now?"

"I don't know what you're talking about--"

"Uhhh...the voices...make the voices stop...Seimegami...make the voices stop, Seimegami..." I moaned out, clutching my forehead.

"Sex Goddess? What the fuck?"

"Kagome...sweetie, wake up, please, now, c'mon..." I heard Jakoutsu say gently.

"Why do you call her that?" This voice I acknowledged as...

_I'll call you tomorrow..._

I jolted awake and off of what seemed to be my couch and into my kitchen, where I grabbed a bottle of Bordeaux and popped off the cork with adrenaline-driven power. I inhaled the powerful wine, only vaguely aware of Jakoutsu's pitying eyes and Inuyasha's amazed and confused eyes upon me.

"Kagome..." Jakoutsu said sadly. Once the bottle was empty, I smashed it on the floor, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Whoa." Inuyasha whistled.

"Okay..." I mumbled, a rather crazed glint in my eye as my hands vibrated. "My mind...does not know what to make of this...it is very disorganized...and I fear I may become neurasthenic if too much information is given to me at one time. So...Jakoutsu, you speak first, because if...that other guy does, I might not live to hear it." Inuyasha looked startled, but kept his mouth closed regardless.

"Kagome...this is Inuyasha." Jakoutsu started gently.

"NO, HE'S NOT!" I screamed, cutting him off immediately. "He's an illusion, isn't he?!" I couldn't, at the time, take in the fact that Inuyasha couldn't possibly be an illusion to _my _mind if Jakoutsu could see him. Jakoutsu was one of the sanest guys I knew.

"No, Kagome, he's real, he's real..." Jakoutsu soothed, beckoning me with inviting arms. "C'mere, _tenshi-chan_..." I blinked back tears that I knew would fall regardless and ran into Jakoutsu's arms, sobbing on his shoulder. "Angel, you've transformed again...Seimegami doesn't seem to be very pleased at Inuyasha's presence."

"Yo, who is this Seime--"

"He says nothing to me..." I whispered suddenly, voice overtaken by Seimegami's quiet anger. Jakoutsu threw Inuyasha a warning look.

"Erm...I don't think Seimegami wants you to talk to Kagome right now." Inuyasha was obviously too fearful to say anything, so he laughed nervously, "O-okay, dude, you said you had it, so I'll see you guys...never." Before he could make his way out the door, I growled, "_Stay!_" He froze in place.

"Well, fuck, you don't want me to talk, you don't want me to leave, what the fuck _do _you want?!" he yelled, obviously losing patience. I whimpered, his voice bringing back memories even worse than those it normally did.

"She wants you to stop yelling at her." Inuyasha was at a loss. "Um...why don't you sit down on the couch?" He sighed, doing so. "Now, Kagome...yes, Inuyasha is here, and he's real."

"He doesn't remember..." I whimpered squeakily. I knew Inuyasha was dying to know what was going on. Jakoutsu turned stern eyes onto the hanyou.

"Inuyasha, think back to tenth grade. You were seventeen, probably, Kagome was sixteen. She was a bit nerdy..." Realization dawned on his face. "All I'm going to say is...that bet you made? It changed Kagome's life _forever_."

"Oh...oh, my fucking _shit_..." he muttered to himself.

"I'm a...a _sukimono _now." I admitted softly, feeling shameful of this for some reason. "A nymphomaniac. I had a breakdown not too long after...after you did what you did. And...years passed, and...well...this is me now." I couldn't face him yet. It made me feel like _I'd _done something wrong, when in reality, he had. Seimegami wanted me to kill him. I knew it. But I couldn't do it. My love for Inuyasha was the only thing keeping him alive at this moment, _literally_, as he sat within clawing distance of me. "She doesn't like you." I chuckled weakly after a moment. He looked to Jakoutsu for confirmation that he could respond to me. When he nodded, Inuyasha urged lightly, "Who?"

"Seimegami. She doesn't like you at all. In fact...there's only one reason she hasn't had me kill you yet." He looked horrified.

"K...kill me? She hates me that much?" I stared down at my claws.

"Y'know...I could slash into you right now...or at least, Seimegami could. I could never kill anyone. But she's a goddess...she'd do it, I'm sure."

"Please don't let her do that..." he whined. "Hey, uh...Jakoutsu. Can I talk to Kagome alone for a little?" Jakoutsu looked worried. "I won't hurt her or anything--"

"Oh, it's not her I'm worried about, so much as it is you. You really shouldn't take Seimegami's threat lightly." He said seriously, but allowed us our privacy for the time being.

Inuyasha sighed, looking at me, and I at him. "I guess both of us have some explaining to do, huh...?"


	5. Chapter 5

FNC: Damn! You people got me updating like clockwork! Four chapters and already four reviews?! (gasps) I didn't realize you loved me that much...(pouts) But maybe you just want me for my story! ...Eh. Either way, I could care less, as long as I get people's inputs on how well the story is going. By the way, um...since I'm having problems with the system--bitch won't let me upload any new chapters!--I may not be able to update for a spell, no matter how many reviews I get. But don't take that as a cue not to review! Please, I _encourage _reviews! In fact, I promise that the story will get so much better if I get, oh, say...maybe...55 reviews? Please? Or more, hell, I'm not picky. Anyway, read--and review!

* * *

I took a deep breath, fighting an internal battle on whether or not Inuyasha was actually real, and not a reproduction of my deluded memories of him.

"Okay…first off…why did you do it?" A simple question which denoted a simple answer, but the one I received was a far cry from what I expected.

"Kagome…in all seriousness…I don't know. I really don't. I know it was horrible, I know it was sadistic, and I know it was cruel, yet I did it anyway. I never really did get over my guilt, but seeing you like this now…" I let out shuddering exhalations, not sure how much longer I could repress my tears.

"What? Seeing me all…all good-looking? Straight legged? Straight _toothed_? Buxom?"

"Yes, yes, yes, and yes. But there's something more to all that, Kagome. I feel terrible for turning you into a sex goddess-inhabited nympho."

"Oh, so it's pity? Is that what you're saying? You _pity _me?" I'd never felt so disgusted with a man in my life as I did right now. "Well, guess what, _Inuyasha_." His name was uttered without emotion. "I don't need your fucking pity, alright? If that's all it is, you can just exit stage left and leave me to my miserable existence."

"No, no, Kagome, that's not what it is!" he insisted, but I, powered by Seimegami, was already pushing him towards my door. Jakoutsu had come in from my room, standing in the doorway with an indeterminate expression of indifference and worry. In my anger, I didn't register until after I'd all but pushed him out of my home that I'd actually _touched _him. Once I had the door closed and was sliding down it, I glared at my trembling hands which I held in front of my face. I waited until I could no longer sense his presence to growl in revulsion at myself.

"I can't believe...that I'd fallen in love with such a...a..._sleazebag_. I'm pissed! I don't need his stupid pity, nor do I need him! I was just fine being what I was, and he just had to come back into my life and fuck it all up for me." I groused grumpily. Jakoutsu came over, sitting beside me, and looking at me critically.

"No, you weren't, and both of us knew it." He said softly. "I don't think occasional mental breakdowns are considered "fine" to any sane person."

"But I mean, come _on_, Jakoutsu! We were doing great! I'd even lowered my sex intake when you came to stay with me! Now I only do it with two people a day!"

"Yes, and that's a sure sign of improvement, true, but you were eventually going to meet Inuyasha anyway." His voice got quieter as he added, "Kagome, please don't mask your sadness like this..." I stared down at him, bottom lip trembling before I burst into tears on his shoulder. He patted my back, something he seemed to be doing quite frequently, soothingly.

"Jakoutsu...! You-you were right! Both you _and _Seimegami were right! I was so stupid! I should've listened to you both...he wouldn't love me...he doesn't...he won't..." Jakoutsu sighed heavily.

"Honey, it's not your fault. You just...happen to be the kind of person that needs to see things for herself, is all." he attempted.

"Even so...I'm not going to the laundromat anymore. Fuck it. If you wanna go, that's fine, but from now on, I'm staying right here and using the good old washing machine instead."

"That's understandable. Running into the same person twice in three weeks at the same time is cause for generalization." Jakoutsu nodded. I hefted myself off of Jakoutsu's shoulder, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek, then I stopped when I noticed how very feminine he did look, and I realized that it was like kissing a woman. I shuddered. I may harbor the megami no sei, but I don't think I'd like to go all sapphic, even if only for the sake of sating my nymphomania.

-

I thought I'd been making some noticeable progress in my sex reduction, what with Jakoutsu living with me. But after Inuyasha came and showed me how little he'd actually changed in the past five years, my sex _intake _nearly doubled. Four men a day--that's how stressed I felt. A week after Inuyasha's visit, I'd hooked up with that neko, Kishiroukou, and was I ever blown away! Copulation with youkai was, surprisingly, infrequent for me, so I wasn't exactly used to the stamina and size of one. Kishiroukou had sex with me more than enough times to tucker me out. The only thing that kept me up with him was Seimegami's own endurance. After the Kouga incident, I for damn sure didn't allow anyone else entrance to the condo; after all, Jakoutsu was still living with me, and I wasn't certain exactly how a shirtlifter would react to that, even if he was my best friend.

Despite the major emotional strain on my life at this point, and my constant thoughts of Inuyasha and slight disgust with myself, I didn't have any more mental malfunctions, as Jakoutsu playfully branded them. It was probably because I saw Inuyasha for what he really was--or at least, what I _thought _he really was, anyway--and was no longer hoping that he'd love me like I did him. Yes, I did still love him, a fact that induced even more self-disgust within myself, but I wasn't going to try to deny it. In all simplicity, my life was back to normal.

A few weeks after the whole Inuyasha incident, Jakoutsu taught me how to dance. We were watching television, a music channel, and Jakoutsu suddenly got up and started gyrating in such a fashion that I found both intriguing and entertaining.

"What are you doing?!" I laughed.

"What does it look like? I'm rocking my hips!" he grinned.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Jakoutsu, but I thought you had to actually _have _hips to rock them."

"Oh-_ho_! Well, then, Miss I-Got-More-Hips-Than-Me, you get up and dance!" I blushed, casting my gaze downwards.

"I, um...I can't dance." I mumbled, ashamed. Jakoutsu stopped his dancing to gape at me.

"You mean you can fuck for hours on end, but you don't know how to _dance_? Oh, no, now, this simply will not do. Luckily for you..." Jakoutsu skipped over to my stereo and cut it on. Some song, presumably called "Pop, Lock, and Drop It" began to play. "...I keep a dance CD handy at all times. Now this dance is quite easy to do. You just pop..." Jakoutsu veered his torso to the left. "Lock..." He swerved his body to the right. "And drop it!" He squatted, arms briefly in the air, before standing back up, smirking at me. "Simple. Now you try." I got up shyly, feeling every bit the awkward little girl I used to be back in the day, and attempted what Jakoutsu was currently doing. "Okay...now try to...maybe work on the dropping a little...yeah, that's good, good!" Soon, I got the hang of the dance, and was actually having so much fun doing it that I was moderately disappointed when the song ended. Jakoutsu noticed this, and said casually, "Oh, don't worry, Kagome--there are plenty of other different dances and songs, and you'd better believe I got 'em all on a CD somewhere around here!"

His words proved to be true, as we spent three entire hours, nonstop, teaching me how to dance. He was playing songs I'd never even heard of, explaining that they were American, and that their styles of dancing included a lot of ass-shaking, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Among the songs were: "Dip It Low," by Christina Milan, "Walk It Out," by UNK, "Laffy Taffy," by D4L, and one of my favorites, "Do It To It," by Cherish. By the end of my dance lessons, it was six, and I realized that Jakoutsu had actually been distracting me from going to anyone's place for some sex. I stared at him as he cut off the stereo, looking exhausted but happy, and said, "I'm taking a _shower_! Good God, woman! All that dancing has got me sticky! ...Um, okay, and you're staring at me _why_?" I shook my head and smiled.

"Thanks, Jakoutsu." He looked confused.

"Kagome, you're an enigma, I swear..." he sighed, heading for the second bathroom. I giggled and laid back on the sofa, comfortable. I provided myself with a curfew for going to men's homes. If I had to leave at 5:59:59, I would not break that curfew for anything. I had until six o'clock to go there, but after that, no deal. My hours were from ten in the morning, sometimes earlier, to six. I never stayed the night, no matter how tired or drunk I was, but the latter was very rarely an occurrence, for I don't drink heavily. Only when I'm going through a crisis. Ah, well. It was all fine and good, for I discovered that sexual urges can be squashed by dancing--alone, anyway. I looked around, idly musing that I could do with a bit of renovation. Maybe give the place a sort of jungly ambiance... Before I could excogitate any further, the phone rang. I leaped over the back of the couch and dashed into the kitchen, snatching it up in my hands.

"Hello, you have reached the Higurashi residence." I purred, knowing quite well that no woman ever called here, so I was free to use a seductive tone. "Luckily for you, you get to speak to me. Who may I ask is calling?"

"Um...Kagome?" My heart momentarily froze in place before palpitating at a rate that I was sure was dangerous to my health. I knew that voice, knew it well, and committed it to memory like the lyrics to my favorite (Japanese) song, and his next words merely confirmed what I already did know. "This is Inuyasha..." I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out, and even if I did make an utterance, my voice threatened to tremble, and I had to keep my composure. I gulped and said coolly, "How did you get this number?"

"I bribed Jakoutsu when I saw him at the grocery store this morning." I mentally groaned. Damn Jakoutsu!

_Weren't you just thanking him? Now you're damning him?_

Oh, _now _she chooses to speak up...bitch.

"Hmm. A conniving asshole, just like you've always been, I see." To my utter surprise and revulsion, he actually _chuckled_.

"You really have changed, Kagome. Apparently for the better."

"Look, if you've called just to annoy me--hooray for the jackass! You've done it."

"No, Kagome--would you just hear me out?"

"Would you just leave me alone?"

"(sigh) Kagome, I _do _like you. I always have liked you." Pregnant pause. Then...

"I'm sorry?"

"That too."

"Okay, you lost me."

"Like I said, I've always liked you. Even when you were...physically unattractive, I still liked you."

"And you're telling me this now because...?"

"It's more a question of why I didn't tell you back then."

"That too." I said, mocking his earlier words.

"It's just...my overinflated ego hindered me from telling you how I felt back then. I always worried about what people would think about me, especially since I was hanyou, and...the whole thing was rather selfish."

"I'll say."

"I did want to tell you, though, but I didn't know how--or when, for that matter, since other bitches were always crowding my space, after my dick." I fought not to snicker at the raunchy language. "So whaddaya say, Kagome? Can you give me another chance? Please?"

Before I could answer, there came a knock at the door. I said hastily, "Somebody's at my door, but..um...jeez. I dunno; why don't you come over tomorrow, and we'll talk?" I could damn near _hear _the relief and happiness that echoed in his tone.

"Okay, great! Um...so I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Yeah, bye." I hung up and went to answer the incessant knocking. "WHAT?!" Two burly youkai stood in my doorway, towering over me. I blinked. "Um, care to tell me who y'all are?" I didn't recall ever having sex with either of these two...

"Heh. Kagetohru-sama told us you were hot, but I wasn't expectin' you to be so feisty." The bronze-skinned one sneered, eyeing my body. Something about how he did it made me feel uncomfortable.

"Um, ex-_cuse _me? I don't know who _you _two are, and I for damn sure don't know who this Kagetohru guy is, but I do know you need to get the fuck out of my doorway before I fly off the handle."

"You hear that, Danshi? We need to get the fuck outta the little lady's doorway before she flies off the handle."

"Yeah, I heard that, Kenshi."

"Danshi and Kenshi? Ew."

"Oh, a smart-mouthed one, too." Danshi smirked.

"You're comin' with us, little lady." Kenshi hoisted me up over his shoulder, Danshi coming in front of him to hold me by my upper body. I noted, much to my detestation, that he didn't miss a chance to cop a feel of my breasts. I growled, the vociferation derived straight from the depths of Seimegami's soul, and made to kick and scream, but Danshi clapped a hand to my mouth and Kenshi stilled my feet. I could feel my teeth elongating and sharpening, and I tried to dig a fang into Danshi's hand, belatedly realizing that it was gloved in an apparently youkai-proof texture. He smirked, realizing my attempts, and the two carried me out of my condo. My eyes glowed their demonic aubergine color as Danshi and Kenshi did so. I felt Seimegami surfacing again...


	6. Chapter 6

FNC: Heh, okay, I know I limited at fifty-five, but I was so happy that I could upload and update again, I couldn't help myself. Enjoy the chapter. I'm sure my best buddy, Azia, will, 'cause she seems to like it when I make a certain character behave a certain way...you'll see who I mean! Just read!

Apparently, neither Danshi nor Kenshi cared whether they were seen, or whether I saw where they were taking me, because I expected to be blindfolded and escorted as if I were going with them by will. I was appalled at this blatancy, but then no one seemed to be paying much attention at the two huge demons carrying a woman on their shoulders like a pig in a slaughterhouse. They simply carried me to a car. Again, I was shocked, because I reckoned a small, barely noticeable black car, but lo and behold! I was jammed into the backseat of the brightest white car I'd ever seen before. Danshi slammed the door after me before I could leap out, and he and Kenshi got in the front seats. Kenshi drove off, destination unknown to me.

"Where the hell are you idiots taking me?!" I fumed. I was now in my youkai form, fully incensed.

"Keh-heh. Kagetohru-sama requested you personally, and as his loyal retainers, we had no choice but to comply, y'understand?"

"No, I don't fucking understand! Just who is Kagetohru, and what does he want with me?!" Danshi snickered.

"Man, Kenshi, I definitely see why he wants her now."

"Hell yeah. With a body like that, and her little attitude? Kagetohru won't know what to do with that woman." I was getting quite annoyed at these two talking about me as if I weren't sitting in the back seat boiling like a hot pot.

"Given, she's damn impure, what with all the dudes I smell on 'er, but Kagetohru'll probably overlook her."

"Yeah, make her take one of those overly scented hot baths that are so strong."

"DON'T FUCKING IGNORE ME, YOU BASTARDS!" I screeched. "I swear to Kami, I will unwind these windows and scream out of them!" The two merely laughed, irritating me further.

"Go ahead. Hell, you can even try to jump out of 'em if you want."

"But all you'll do is drown. Take a look for yourself; we're on a bridge." Dread filled me. I _hated _bridges, especially when you were close to the railings and looked down. I had a deathly case of acrophobia. My heart clenched in fear and I compressed my body in the middle of the one long seat, as far away from both windows as I could possibly get.

"Heh; what, you don't like heights or somethin'?" Danshi sneered. I said nothing, only remained hunkered down. I was now aware that cursing violently, though an effective outlet for my anger and fear, would not help me in this situation, that I would be taken to whomever this Kagetohru was regardless. The trip there would pass so much faster if I just shut up.

"She ain't sayin' nothin' any more, Danshi." Kenshi informed him.

"Good. We got a long-ass trip, and I don't feel like hearing all that bitching. In case it's burning for you to know, we're headed for _Oki Daito-jima_." I gaped. If we were in _Minami Daito-jima_...

"Offshore?!" I blurted.

"Never been that far, eh? Well, that's where Kagetohru's estate is."

"It's so we don't get tracked by nobody. Hell, we know it's safe to tell you, 'cause you're just like all the other concubines there--you'll never leave. Once you mate with Kagetohru, you'll be there as long as he lives." I blanched.

"So...so he's a youkai?"

"Definitely." I gulped.

"And the crafty bastard's even got himself a system!" Kenshi laughed. "Once he impregnates you, his son mates some other concubine, and the whole thing starts all over again!"

"Oh, _ew_! That is disgusting!" I groaned. "Why _me_?!"

"Special reasons. We been lookin' for you a _loong _time, Kagome." Anger and frustration flared within me once more and I shrieked, "**_LET ME OUT, DAMN IT! LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT, LET ME OOOOUUUUTTT!!!!!!!!_**" I had screeched in Kenshi's ear, conveniently forgetting how you weren't supposed to bother the driver...particularly when on a bridge. He shouted, clamping his hands to his ears, and Danshi had to grab the wheel.

"That's it! I've had enough of you, you bitch!" Kenshi snarled, slamming on the brakes. Gravity briefly threw me forward, then catapulted me back into the seat. He got out of the car and dragged me out onto the bridge, immobilizing my arms with his own. "Danshi! Get the smelling salts!" Danshi didn't hesitate to do so, and practically stuffed a bottle of salt up my nose. I began to cough violently, my eyes crossing, my nose burning...and I passed out.

-

"Kagetohru-sama." The voice was faint, but I heard it. I was gradually coming to, after being knocked out. My eyes opened partially, and I felt one eyelid drooping. I mentally checked my body to find that Seimegami had receded back into my body. I was a human again. The smelling salts must've caused Seimegami's disengagement. Despite my current weak state, I listened intently to the conversation apparently taking place near me, still pretending to be knocked out.

"Yes, Danshi. Kenshi."

"We have brought to you Kagome Higurashi, as you requested."

"Ha-ha! Excellent!" I presumed that this voice, though much younger-sounding than Danshi and Kenshi's, belonged to none other than this Kagetohru I'd been hearing about. "Er...but why is she knocked out?" With my half-lidded eyes, I indistinctly noticed Kenshi and Danshi shift nervously.

"Gomen, Kagetohru-sama...she became rather difficult to deal with..." Kenshi muttered. I saw Kagetohru nod slowly.

"True...Kagome-chan has recently been a handful...but no matter! One night in my bed, and she'll be as tame as a domesticated dog." I fought the urge to growl my protest.

_I take major offense to that!_

Danshi and Kenshi snickered. "We are confident in your taming ability, sire."

"Heh, as well you _should _be. Ah...let me bask in the scent of my Kagome!" He took a deep whiff, paused, sniffed again, tentatively this time, and shot a death-promising glare Kenshi and Danshi's way. They looked startled at this sudden change in attitude. I, too, was curious, but luckily, Seimegami helped me to hide my awakened aura. "Kenshi! Danshi!"

"Yes, Kagetohru-sama? What ails you?" they asked quizzically.

"I smell your hideous stenches on her nether regions!" I was shocked, then livid. Those bastards had taken advantage of me when I was passed out! They paled noticeably, and stammered over each other's words in hasty explanations.

"Silence! I shall hear none of your pathetic excuses! Would you both rather be beheaded, or asphyxiated? Your choice." Wuh-oh. Now _that _was uncool. Even though they'd _raped _me in my unconsciousness, they still didn't deserve to die. Tortured severely, yes, but death was a bit too extreme.

"Hey, hey, wait a minute there, Kagetohru!" I yelled suddenly, opening my eyes fully. I hadn't taken into account where I was, but now that I looked around...it seemed to be a palace, and I was still on Kenshi and Danshi's shoulders. I twisted away from them and landed on my feet in front of Kagetohru's...throne? Oh, jeez...

"Kagome! You have awakened!" Kagetohru grinned gleefully. "I take it you heard of these two's betrayal?"

"Yeah, yeah, all that, but look, I don't think that _death _is a suitable punishment for the two...how about some intense physical torment instead? Maybe hamstring 'em..." Kenshi and Danshi gulped, looking at each other. I think that they were considering the better option of death... Kagetohru's grin inflated.

"Perfect solution, Kagome!" he chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "Kambei--Jubei." Two aardwolf youkai walked up, seemingly out of nowhere. I blinked at them. They were admittedly damn cute. Kambei was the one with brown and white stripes; Jubei the one with red and black. Regaining composure, I winked discreetly at them. They blushed, though you couldn't really tell through the fur on their faces, and averted their eyes to Kagetohru. "Take Kenshi and Danshi down to the dungeon. Do with them what you will." Kenshi and Danshi looked alarmed, but apparently knew better than to fight against their lord's orders, and let Jubei and Kambei take them away. I was beginning to see a slight pattern around here... Kagetohru turned his gaze onto me, smiling thickly. I felt uncomfortable. Silence reigned supreme for a few moments, until I blurted out, "Okay, what gives?! Why have I been taken here?! This is...like, _off_ offshore Daito-jima!"

"That may be. But it must be so, because I don't wish to be located by anyone."

"Dude, I'm seriously not in the mood for all of this vague shit." I sighed, really looking at him so that I could commit his features to memory, so that I could report him to the police and snitch on him. He had very dark, crimson eyes, and even darker hair. It was long, really long, sort of greasy, and it looked like he had...eyeshadow? Periwinkle eyeshadow? Ew...Now, Jakoutsu wore lipstick, but eyeshadow was a bit too far. Was this guy gay? No, that couldn't be--he was about to kill Kenshi and Danshi when he'd found out that they'd raped me...maybe bi? Yeah, now, _that _I could work with. Or even metro. At least he'd have a sense of fashion. "You could at least tell me your first name..."

"Huh? Oh--speculative, are we? I _like _that." He winked. I cast a sidelong glare at no one in particular. This was pretty much the first time I didn't like a man's attentions on me, especially one so cute. Yes, he _was _cute, even with his little metro/bisexual appearance tendencies. "Well, you see...my name. It was once Onigumo, and I do permit certain women to call me by the former ningen name I possessed. I used to be a thief, until I fell into a fire, and a woman by the name of Kikyou nursed me back to health. I lusted for her immensely, but she was in love with a stupid half-breed. For this, I hated the both of them, and when I was asleep, a voice came to me. It offered strength to me, so that I could possibly kill that half-breed, and have Kikyou for my own, and of course, I eagerly took the chance. I became an amalgamation of youkai, a fusion hanyou. Though my very existence was similar to that of the one I hated so, I was able to obtain Kikyou. I am still in pursuit of the half-breed...actually, the primary reason for me taking you, Kagome, was because you looked very much like Kikyou. That and I had quite the crush on you back in high school. Heh." I was becoming impatient.

"That's so great, jackass. But you still haven't told me your _general name_!" He smiled silkily. "I didn't ask for the damn life story here, although I'm sure you _gladly _gave it to me! ...And also, what's this business about me looking like some Kikyou woman?! That's bullshit! Why the hell would you kidnap a girl just because she looks like some lover?!" His smile morphed into a smirk.

"Perhaps I shall allow you to see just exactly how much you resemble each other. Kikyou!" he called sharply. Almost instantly, a woman walked regally into the room, head held high. I placed my hands on my hips, amazed at the high regard this woman placed herself in. She took up Kagetohru's side, sniffing at me.

"Kikyou, this is Kagome. She's a new addition to the concubines. Tell me, doesn't she look like you?"

"Um, correction," I scoffed, interrupting her upcoming answer. Her eye twitched in annoyance. "_She _looks like _me_. Kagome Higurashi looks like _no one_." Kikyou eyed me contemptuously.

"Onigumo, I don't like her very much."

"Hey, not my problem. She wants to know my real name. Think I should tell her?"

"No."

"Great! Kagome, don't you remember me? It's me, Houjou." My jaw dropped.


	7. Chapter 7

Warning! Yuri in this chapter. Sorry. If you don't like it...well, I think we all know what part of my anatomy you can kiss. Either way, you don't have to read it, just skip over it.

"Houjou?! Oh, _man_! I _thought _the name Kagetohru sounded familiar! Wha--what the hell are you doing way inland, commanding a band of concubines?" I really was surprised. Back in my high school days, I'd always known Houjou, and that he liked me, but...jeez, these days, it seems like he's bordering on damn near _evil_.

Kikyou looked at me distastefully. "_You _may be a concubine, and these other women around here may be concubines, but Kikyou is _not_--"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, Houjou!" I said loudly, overlapping her voice and further irritating her. The man before us chuckled.

"When I found that your heart had been taken by Inuyasha, I was, to put it shortly, _crushed_. I took to a life of crime, and got very badly scarred from a fire. Kikyou took me in and cared for me. I--"

"Yeah, you _told _this part already!"

"Long story short--I wanted women to replace the one I couldn't have."

"_Thank you_! That is all that you had to say."

"Your sarcasm is unappreciated." Kikyou scowled.

"Yeah, well, so is your face." I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?" Kikyou quirked an eyebrow. I sucked my teeth and eyed her defiantly, standing akimbo.

"Since you apparently did not seem to _hear _me...I _believe I said_, SO IS YOUR FACE! If you got a problem with it, we can solve it right here, right now, no strings attached, baby, let's go!" I challenged, shaking my head and spreading my arms out for emphasis. Kikyou said nothing. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Now somebody tell me where the hell the exit is, so I can _leave_." Kikyou's formerly tensionless lips uplifted unevenly into a smug smirk.

"Leave? You can't leave. No one leaves. Don't you understand that once you are on _this _island, you will not be leaving?"

"Don't _you _understand that repetitive emphasis only holds for so long?" I mocked. "And what the hell do you mean, _I can't leave_? Bitch, are you deranged or something?"

"It is impossible to leave once you arrive. There is no way to go."

"How in the _hell _is there no way to leave, when I was _brought here_?!"

"Stop questioning!"

"Then start answering, you ignorant bimbo!"

"Slut!"

"Trick!"

"Whore!"

"Cyprian!"

"...Tart!" I chuckled at this.

"Oh, no, I'm not sour, I'm sweet. Ask any man." Kikyou's scowl deepened.

"Kikyou. Why don't you show Kagome around? Take her to the harem; get her situated." Houjou smiled, apparently having either ignored or not noticed, in his denseness, the verbal firestorm Kikyou and I just exchanged. Dull-brained retard... Kikyou shot him a look of pure horror, while I merely yawned. Anyway...really, it was not all that big. Her body trembled before she turned on her heel, gritting out, "Follow me." She began walking at a swift pace, and I stayed still for a few moments, just to spite her, but then realized that I was getting nowhere fast--literally--and, against my will, went after her.

Kikyou brought me to a huge room that looked as big as my condo altogether, and it was full of women. It unnerved me to see so many females in one place. I was more accustomed to a bunch of men...I shielded my eyes from the sight of women _undressing_. Ugh...Again, I was used to seeing _men _in that situation.

"Rashikai. Tobushikai. Come escort Kagome around." Kikyou commanded, and two women looked up at me. They came towards me, further disconcerting me.

"...Um...yeah...hi." I muttered. Rashikai giggled at my obvious shyness and took my right hand, but Tobushikai took my other, and the two led me out. A feeling of foreboding crept up my spine as I felt the women actually _caressing _the backs of my hands with their thumbs. I snatched my hands away from them, whipping around to face them with a red face.

"Hey!" I stammered, livid and mortified. Tobushikai's eyes roamed over my body, and goosebumps arose on every inch of skin she eyed. "Look here! None of that...that _touchy-feely _shit going on around _this _bitch! Kagome don't play that!"

_And Seimegami **definitely **don't play that._

Tobushikai leaned in close to my ear, whispering, "But it's never too late to join the game..." I yelled out in repugnance when I felt something wet tickle the inside of my ear. I pushed her away, vigorously wiping away her saliva. She grinned at me, in a way that I took to be "seductive," and said, not taking her eyes off of me, "Rashi-chan, I think I'll finish showing Kagome-sama around." The other girl pouted, but complied, grumbling, "You always have the fun..."

"FUN?! Oh-ho-ho, _hell _no! There's to be no fun around here, thank you so much!" I shouted, scared out of my _mind_. I had never in my life been around a lesbian before, and I sure as fuck didn't want to be around any now _or _ever.

"Aw, Kagome-sama, don't be afraid. Embrace your _sapphic _side."

"Hell no! Get the hell away from me, you goddamned lesbo!" I cried out, running away from her--and promptly tripping over something on the ground. I fell onto my back, but before I could scramble to my feet, Tobushikai was on top of me, pinning my wrists to the ground, her face in very close proximity to mine. To my absolute disgust, if I merely puckered my lips, which I was definitely not about to do in this position, they would touch hers. I'm sure that nasty bitch would _like _that.

"Mmm...I like it when they run. You're a damn sexy specimen, Kagome. I intend to make you mine." I dared not breathe, for danger of our breasts touching. Her nipples were already hard, I could tell..._dis-fucking-gusting!_

I tried, in vain, to sink further into the floor. I grit my teeth, brows furrowed, "**_Get...the fuck...off...of...me._**" Her tongue lolled out of her mouth, a hair's breadth away from my bottom lip.

"And why should I?" she purred, licking my lower lip. And that was the final straw. Feeling the force of Seimegami empower and take over my body, I violently shoved her away from me, jumping to my feet. Where she would've slammed back-first into the wall nearby, she merely skidded backward on her feet, smirking at me. "Ooh...what's this new power I smell in you? You look cuter than before. I love those eyes." From her description, I knew that Seimegami had surfaced. And now that she had, I took a good whiff of Tobushikai. Apart from the evident arousal that I could've detected even as a human, I gathered that she was of canid descent.

"What are you, bitch?" I growled, more from anger than Seimegami's usual sound.

"So you recognize me for what I really am. I'm flattered, Kagome."

"Don't--! Say my name!"

"As you wish...koinu-chan." She kissed. My limbs trembled and my blood boiled. "Ha ha ha! I'm a maned wolf." She transformed before my eyes, into a reddish-grey wolf, green eyes twinkling. I scoffed in disgust as she said, "Do you like what you see?"

"You _repulse _me!" I spat.

"You're so kind, Kagome-chan."

"Fuck you!"

"Don't go making promises you can't keep..." I stomped back towards the harem, pushing her out of my way, but she grabbed my wrist and held my body tight to hers, hands cupping my bottom. I fought to bulldoze her aside, but she held firm, not struggling in the least. "Keep it up, Kagome--my nipples are already tight for you."

"Get the fuck away from me, you crazy bitch! I like _males_, damn it, not--not _bitches_!" I yelled.

"Like I said, stay here long enough, and that's bound to change." She licked my neck gracefully, and I let out an involuntary shudder, sickened with myself. "I know what my bitch likes."

"I'm not your fucking bitch!" The next tremble had to be driven away once she licked a more sensitive spot around my cervix.

"Apparently, I'm yours. How many times has it been that you've called me that...?"

"That was _before _I knew what you were! Get the hell away, goddamn rapist!" I forced her off of me once more, stalking off towards the harem.

"Aw, come on, Kagome! You can't tell me you've never been curious..." I ignored her as I pushed through the double doors. I had a bone to pick with Kikyou.

Aside from Tobushikai's constant come-ons, life in the harem wasn't too bad. We got to basically do whatever we wanted, as long as we fucked Houjou whenever he called for us. We had great clothes, though a bit archaic, wonderful food, and the living conditions were better than I could've ever hoped for. My stupid ass stayed there for a damn full fortnight before I realized that I still had my cell phone. It seemed that, when I put my bra in the washing hamper, my cell went along with it, and they keep the washing hamper in the bathroom. To be honest, I had Tobushikai to thank for it, though I'd never admit it, under the circumstances...

I was coming in from the beach by myself. We were allowed to go there every other day, but the human women had to be transported by the demon dudes. The youkai girls simply ran there themselves, including myself. I had transformed once I nearly drowned in the water, forgetting that I didn't know how to formally swim. When I headed upstairs for the harem, there was Tobushikai, reading a book. I was about to turn and walk right back out, when she called, "Oh, hello, Kagome. Had fun at the beach?" The casual tone in which she spoke these innocent words had me suspicious, though I detected no aroused or mischievous aura from her. So, deciding to trust my--or Seimegami's--nose, I cautiously stepped forward, sitting in a chair as far away from her as possible.

"Barely." I sniffed, then sneezed. A little water was still up my nose. "I damn near drowned in the salt water, and I think I'm gonna get sick." I began to revert back to my human form.

"Oh, you poor dear." Tobushikai tsked. "You should take a look in a mirror; you look a mess. No offense." I wobbled over to the wall mirror and looked at myself. She was right; I looked all pale and sickly, and I definitely felt the part. It seemed that, during the long walk back, the sickness was building up internally, while my youkai didn't show it. I groaned, a headache forming, and I was beginning to feel slightly dizzy. "Why don't you lay down, Kagome? You don't look very well." I nodded weakly and went to do so. Tobushikai came over, sitting an ice pack on my forehead. I gave her a feeble smile.

"Y'know...all things considered, what with your neverending rape attempts...you're not so bad when you're just being a normal girl." I commented. She didn't reply; or at least, I didn't _hear _her reply. She walked off, presumably to read her book. There was silence for a few, then...

"Are you in pain?"

"Eh. Headache here, migraine there, but nothing too--_aaaaaggghhh..._bad." I ground my teeth together against the pain, wishing I could transform and end it, but the exertion would be too much for me. Maybe I was sicker than I thought...

"I will get you the soporific philter." Something in the back of my mind translated this as something bad, but it was too vague to decipher. Besides, I didn't want to bring on an even stronger headache.

"Thanks, Tobushikai." She smiled as she came back with a transparent bottle of clear liquid.

"Call me Tobu-chan." She got on her knees, so that she was in eye contact with me. "Open up, please..." I opened my mouth, and she poured the liquid in, rubbing my throat with her fingertips to make sure it went down easily. The philter tasted...strange. Not tasteless...sort of tart, actually. Strange nonetheless. Our eyes met, and I began to feel...aroused? Huh? And a little torpid, too...

"How do you feel now?" Tobushikai's voice seemed like an echo. I struggled to focus on her face, which I now couldn't seem to keep my eyes off of.

"Um..." My own voice sounded groggy to my ears. "I feel kinda weird...what's in this stuff?"

"I don't know. It's supposed to have healing properties..." Her fingers trailed along my throat down to the dip of my V-neck collar and I shuddered, this time in...pleasure? Wait, I _liked _what she was doing? It wasn't my nature to deny any type of sexual pleasure, so I allowed her to continue.

"Ooh...you still have a fever, Kagome...I'll give you a hot bath to sweat it out..." (Strangely enough, I never got that bath...) She unbuttoned my shirt. I wasn't wearing a bra; the only one I had was in the hamper. Tobushikai blew softly near my nipples, petrifying them.

"What was that for?" I said thickly, voice hoarse from the philter.

"_That_...was for me." She whispered with a wink. "Now, can you remove your skirt, or would you like me to?" I quaffed dry saliva and rasped, "Could you do it for me?"

"Of course." By now, Tobushikai's face was wavering and her normally red hair flickered suspiciously to white, her green eyes to aureate, and I began to see dog ears atop her head...

"Inuyasha..." I breathed.

"Excuse me?" Tobushikai's voice was giving way to the more masculine tone of Inuyasha's. I was damn far gone now. I grasped his forelocks and rammed our lips together. I'd always wanted to kiss Inuyasha, and in my mind, I'd finally gotten the opportunity. Warm fingertips pressed themselves into the small of my back and I heard my name whispered. The simple utterance kindled a fire of passion within me that I hadn't known existed. In mere moments, Inuyasha and I were just naked bodies on my bed, our pubic hairs entwining. I expected to feel an erection near my nethermost lips, but I didn't. Instead, what I felt was the foreskin covering my clitoris being lifted and Inuyasha lowering his body onto me.

My scream reverberated even into my own ears as I felt another nub brush against mine. Alabaster dew outpoured from my body and Inuyasha moistened his own pink button in it. There was the brief thought that his cock was supposed to be much, much, _much _thicker and _way _longer than this, but I was not complaining. After all, I wasn't entirely certain of what was going on with Inuyasha's body, but as long as he kept bringing me pleasure like this, I didn't much care. The thought never crossed my mind that it was impossible for Inuyasha to be here in the first place.

He stroked my genitalia with his own bedewed pink jewel, moaning sensually. I grabbed the sheets, my sweat and orificial juices intermingled with his own, grinding our hips together, heightening our pleasure. More of this foreign rubbing had both of our climaxes erupting in a flurry of screaming and moaning.

I loved every minute of it.


	8. Chapter 8

Once I'd awoken, I felt as if recovering from a hangover. I shot up in my bed and looked around. It was dark...dark as...night? I groaned, head pounding...and then I realized something. I squirmed a little, and it was true--my loins were wet, very wet. My heart joined in the excruciating beating of my brain as I struggled to sort out everything. How did this happen? _What _exactly happened? Why was I naked?!?! I groped around for my clothing, and gasped in horror when I felt a fleshy mound of _something _that I was certain was not that of a male's. The female beneath my hands turned, chuckling--apparently in her sleep--and murmured, "Oh, Kagome, call me...Tobu-chan." I retracted my hand faster than greased lightning. Tobu-chan...that could only mean...

I stuffed a pillow in my mouth to stifle my scream of revulsion. "I HAD _SEX_--WITH A _WOMAN_!" I cried into the engorged cloth. I felt disgusted with myself. I really needed to hit the baths--I _really, really _did. So, as quietly as possible, I crept out of the bed and into the bathroom. I closed the bathroom door and leaped into one of the four bathtubs, scrubbing vigorously at every inch of my body I could reach. Red in my scouring, I got out, nearly slipping on the floor before remembering that I had no towel. I slid to the hamper, to see whether there were any good towels, and came across my bra. Lo and behold; I'd discovered my cell phone! I clutched the thing in my hands as if it were my last lifeline. In all truth, it was. I had to get out of here, away from all the lesbians and soporific whatchamacallits. I only prayed that I could get at least three bars.

"Please, Kami...please...you know what I've been through, Lord...find it in your enormous heart to help me...Oh, please, God, Jesus, Zeus, _any_ deity!" I wiped my wet hands which threatened to drop the cell on a towel and laid it on the floor to sit on it. I made sure that the bathroom door was locked before flipping open my cell. I cut it on, and prayed even more desperately for service bars. I fought the urge to scream again when...there were no fucking bars. In my anger, I chucked the phone at a mirror, effectively shattering it and breaking the phone. I was now seething in livid fury. I wrapped the towel around my body and slammed open the doors, not caring now who I awakened. To my surprise, nobody except one person woke up. To my extreme displeasure, the one person who'd woken up was Tobushikai. She looked at me quizzically as I stalked out of the harem.

Tobushikai followed after me as I walked, asking, "Kagome, where are you going?" I didn't answer. "Kagome!" She lunged forward, tackling me to the ground and unraveling my towel. I stared in horror as it slid down the stairs. Now here I was, prone naked on a cold marble floor with a _lesbian_ woman, _also naked_, astraddle my _ass_, just as naked. Could my life get any worse?

"Get off of me!"

"Kagome, don't push me away!" she cried out. "After all that we did today!"

"You used me against my will!"

"I helped you get better when you were sick!"

"I didn't require you fucking me!"

"You were more than happy to contribute to the love-making!"

"I was _imagining _Inuyasha, not some sapphic bitch!" She gasped softly, then lay her head on mine.

"That hurt, Kagome..." she whispered, reaching out for my hands, but I jerked them out of her reach. "Can't you understand that I only pursue you because...because I love you?" My eye twitched. Of all the people to tell me this...

"Look, that's all fine and dandy or whatever, but listen here. I am _pro-male_, meaning I do not like women. I like _men_. I'm sorry, but...hell, maybe your friend what's-her-face likes you?"

"It's not the same!" she shuddered out her sobs. I fidgeted, uncomfortable because I never liked to be the cause of anyone crying. "It's not the same...last night was the first time I'd ever actually made love." Now I was confused.

"But aren't you a--"

"Yes, yes, of course, but I don't love Houjou _or _Danshi _or _Kenshi _or _Rashikai or anyone else I've ever done it with. What I do with them is only sex. But with you...it was like...fireworks exploding, y'know?"

"...Not particularly, due to the fact that it wasn't exactly consensual, and I had to be drugged into it." She sighed.

"I understand if you don't feel the same way about me, Kagome."

"Great."

"But...could you at least tell me what you're doing?"

"(sigh) Alright, already, jeez. I'm getting the hell out of here." She seemed shocked.

"What? But...didn't you hear Kikyou? You can't leave."

"Yes, yes, she's been on that jag forever! But goddamn it, I am getting the hell out of here! There are people worried..." I trailed off, pausing to think a little. With the way I treated people...were they really worried about me? I mean...Suikoutsu and Kouga, they said they loved me, and I guess I could believe that, because that's not something you just put out, but...Jakoutsu, I know he loved me...the only person who really mattered to me was Inuyasha. The day I was kidnapped, I said I'd meet him the next day, when instead, I ended up being brought to Houjou... I shook my head of these thoughts and continued, although slightly half-heartedly, "...People worried about me, and I can't _stand _when people do that!"

"Kagome...can't you stay here? With me? Please? If only to make me happy?"

"Tobushikai..." I sighed again. "I can't stay here, I...I have a _life_, away from this island." It seemed like Tobushikai was going to say something further, but a faint voice chilled us both to the bone. "You better get back to the harem; sounds like Kikyou's on patrol, and you wouldn't wanna be caught out after dark." Tobushikai smiled and let up. I still felt awkward, being naked in front of her like this.

"Kagome, I do believe you will get out of here. And I'll miss you when you're gone. But...as a keepsake...a memory...could...could you kiss me?" It came out rapidly, but not so much so that I wasn't able to decipher it. My whole body crimsoned.

"Huh?!" I squeaked.

"It could be just on the cheek..." she muttered, pointing to the side of her face.

"...Fine..." I ground, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, my own face burning. "There, happy?" She beamed at me.

"Thank you, Kagome. I'll always remember your scent." She walked back off. _God_, I wished I had some clothes! I wanted to retrieve mine, but I wasn't sure what the reaction to my nudity would be. "Oh, and Kagome?" Tobushikai added, stopping in front of the harem doors. Crap, what _now_?! Did she want a freaking _hug_, too?! Perfect!

"Yeah, Tobushikai?" I sighed wearily.

"Would you like me to bring you some clothing? As beautiful as you are naked, I don't think you want to go down there like that." I wasn't sure of what to feel at the statement, so I just nodded, wishing I could get my towel back. Tobushikai went into the harem and I tapped my foot, listening to Kikyou. Soon, Houjou's voice got mixed up into it. I was burning with anxiety, desperately wanting to be down there. Tobushikai came back about five minutes later, now dressed with my own clothing in hand. She gave them to me.

"Thanks, Tobushikai." I said hastily, putting them on. To be honest, despite the fact that she was a tribade, Tobushikai had really good taste in clothing. In fact...I would've probably picked out the same thing.

"No problem, Kagome..." I looked at her. Her head was downward, hands clasped together. Aw, jeez...I've gone and made the damn girl sad. I went up to her and did something I'd never intentionally done before in my life.

I lifted her chin and gave her a short kiss on the lips. She stared at me, stunned, cheeks pinked.

"K...Kagome...?" I mustered a smile.

"Hey, maybe I'll see ya some other time, huh?" Oh, great--now I was going lesbian.

_Way to go, lesbo._

I really wished Seimegami would shut up sometimes.

Tobushikai smiled at me. "I wish you the best of luck, Kagome-chan."

"See ya later...Tobu-chan." After a two-finger salute, I bounded down the stairs.

"Kikyou!" I heard, from a very familiar person.

"Inu...Inuyasha..." I whispered, from my place near the bottom of the stairs, as I was peeking around the wall. Jakoutsu was with him, and the two were glaring at Houjou and Kikyou.

"You nasty slut, where is Kagome?!" Jakoutsu demanded. Kikyou crossed her arms.

"Why should I tell you, you transsexual abomination?" she sneered.

"Oh, _hell _no." Jakoutsu shook his head, stepping forward, brandishing a menacing finger. "Bitch, I got a switchblade with your goddamn name on it, keep talking shit--! Hey!" Inuyasha had grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him back.

"Dude..." he sighed, then glared at Houjou. "Get Kagome here, right fucking now, or I'll kill you where you stand." I couldn't help the grin that spread on my face. He sounded so protective, and I bet he really would've killed Houjou. Hee hee hee!

"(growls) Half-breed, Kagome is _my _concubine! Mine, mine, mine! You already had Kikyou; you're not taking Kagome!"

"You really _want _me to maim you, don't you?"

"Okay. Enough of this shit. You—" Jakoutsu pointed to Kikyou. "Since you look like one of those concu-bitches, you better go get Kagome now, and goddamned fast, or I'm gonna make you regret your existence."

"And how so?" In a heartbeat, Jakoutsu was flourishing an extended jackknife in her face, so closely that she looked cross-eyed at it.

"Don't make me dirty my blade, bitch. I already don't like you, and if I kill you now, nobody'll care." Despite the uneasiness even I could sense, Kikyou sneered.

"Inuyasha will. He won't let you kill me. Isn't that right, Inuyasha?" Houjou's fists noticeably clenched, along with his teeth, as he witnessed Kikyou suck up to Inuyasha. Personally, I was getting pissed myself.

"Hey, whore! Don't be talkin' to Inuyasha like you _know _him!" I yelled from my hiding spot, stepping out into the moonlit darkness. All eyes turned onto me.

"KAGOME!" everyone yelled.

"C'mon, Kagome, we're haulin' ass!" Inuyasha said, coming up to me and taking my hand. I fought the urge to blush, especially in this situation.

"How did you two get here?"

"Long story, babe. Listen to the silver-haired dude and let's go!" Jakoutsu smirked.

"No one's going anywhere!" Houjou thundered, snatching Inuyasha away from me. Inuyasha snatched his arm back, growling at him. "Especially not Kagome! She's staying right here!"

"No, the hell she ain't!" Inuyasha punched Houjou in the face with a powerful right hook and his neck craned backwards. Even I winced.

"Ooh, damn..." I tutted, shaking my head. Houjou's head slowly came back into place, a nasty red welt in the shape of Inuyasha's balled-up knuckles smack-dab in the middle of his face.

"You...you son-of-a..." While he was apparently off-guard, Jakoutsu crept up behind him, jackknife poised to attack, when suddenly Kikyou yelled out, "Houjou, behind you!" I ran and tackled her to the ground, planting my fist in her mouth.

"Shut up, bitch!" I hissed, as Jakoutsu swiftly dodged a spinning punch from Houjou. He jabbed his knife into and through Houjou's leg. He howled in pain, clutching his leg and falling to the floor. He dug his fingernails into his leg and the lesion began to bubble. A murky purple miasma slowly flooded the floor and Houjou chuckled malevolently.

"This miasma will soon flood the entire island, killing all, even myself. I would rather die with my enemy than to die by the hands of him."

"...Bitch, you crazy." Jakoutsu scoffed, taking a step back away from some miasm pouring out his way. And really, he was. But the fumes from the effluvium were getting to me. Inuyasha stifled my nose with the sleeve of his thankfully loosely-sleeved shirt. "I send my love, darling Kagome." He made to blow a kiss my way, but I halted that gesture with a, "Do it and I'll castrate you before you get to hell." Houjou lightly shrugged.

"Have it your way, hon. But just know that you'll always hold..." He dug his hand actually _in _his chest, like it was Jell-o or something, and pulled out his ticker. Kikyou's eye twitched. "...a piece of my heart." He flung it at my feet, an action to which I promptly squeaked and jumped away from it. It still thumped..._ew_.

"Onigumo, you _idiot_!" she screeched. "You want to kill me too?! Inuyasha! I demand you save me!"

"Are you fucked in the head?!" Inuyasha gaped, pulling Jakoutsu and I away from the purple haze drifting our way.

"She's sure as hell fucked in the face." Jakoutsu commented. Inuyasha and I looked at him for a period before Inuyasha continued talking.

"I came here for Kagome, not you! If you were stupid enough to fuck around with Houjou in the first place, you can be stupid enough to die with the asshole, too!"

"Yeah! What he said! Let's get the _hell_ out of here..." Jakoutsu muttered, and they were about to take off, but I said, "Wait! There are other people here!"

"Oh, goddamn it--Kagome, this is no time to be a humanitarian!"

"I'm not being a humanitarian; I'm being _human_! There are, like, twenty women upstairs!" In truth, I was sort of worried about Tobushikai. Inuyasha sighed and crouched.

"Get on, the both of you." I scurried onto his back, while Jakoutsu said, "I can run myself, thanks." Inuyasha shrugged.

"Suit yourself," he said, and bounded up the stairs, Jakoutsu in tow.

"There!" I pointed to the harem doors and Inuyasha dashed through them. He cut on the lights, instantly awakening the women, except Tobushikai, who was already awake.

"Kagome?" she said, obviously shocked. She sat up. "What are you doing still here?" I dismounted Inuyasha, standing at his side with Jakoutsu.

"Houjou's a homicidal asshole who's gonna kill us all, and we're up here to save you. Some kinda miasma is going to flood the entire island, so we need to haul ass." The girls began to panic and fret. Jakoutsu groaned, glaring sidelong.

"See, this is why I fucking _hate _women..." he grumbled. I smiled, patting his back.

"You'll be alright, Ja-chan."

"Kagome, what are you talking about?" She looked at Inuyasha and Jakoutsu. "And who are these two?"

"Uh...this is Inuyasha, this is Jakoutsu. Guys, this is Tobushikai." She eyed Inuyasha distrustfully. He seemed to take small sniffs of her.

"I won't ask why you smell so much like Kagome." Tobushikai sneered at him.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"If I did, I'd ask you, stupid." Oy...I saw this coming. They're _jealous _of each other. I never thought I'd see the day when I had both a female and a male fighting for my love...

"There's no time for all this bickering!" Jakoutsu groused. I said, "He's right. Listen up. ...We need to get the hell out of here! I want all youkai and hanyous to round up...at the big window at the end of the hall." The demon women walked past me and out of the doors, Tobushikai turning up her nose at Inuyasha and winking at me as she passed. There were, unsurprisingly, only few humans--two.

"Inuyasha, you take those two."

"What about you and Jakoutsu?" he questioned.

"I'll transform into Seimegami..." I awaited her response.

_...Huh? Oh, am I supposed to say something? Very well, I'll surface._

"...right, and carry him."

"Like I said before, I can walk myself. But thanks for your concern, Kagome-chan." Jakoutsu smiled. I smiled back.

"One question though--just how in the hell did you get here?!"

"Underwater tunnel. Leads up to the basement, which is accessible from a treelike portal in the back of the mansion." He said casually. I stared at him. "Jakoutsu, take the ningen out to that window and tell the youkai and hanyous what to do."

"Gotcha, dude." Jakoutsu sighed, obviously not wanting to do so, and led the women out. I was about to go after him, when suddenly, Inuyasha grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I looked at him; he was staring forward, a hard look on his face. There was silence for a few moments, during which I had my hands clasped behind my back, eyes cast downward and feet shuffling. Then--

"Your friend."

"Huh?"

"That Tobushikai girl. She was jealous of me. Plus, she smelled a lot like you, and she was aroused. Care to explain?" I sniffed.

"Ahem...yeah. She's a dike." He made no movement, but his eyebrow arched upward. "And she's in love with me. She, er...got me drunk, and...well, you know how mentally unstable I am _sober_, let alone drunk off my ass from soporific philter. She took advantage of me in my delusional state."

"Ah. Hmm." ...I didn't know what to think. Was he actually _jealous_ of that? I would hope so, and that would mean he actually had _some _feelings for me, else he wouldn't've come so far out for me. "Hope you told her you're..." I gesticulated for him to continue when he faltered slightly. "...you don't go that way." I quirked my eyebrow, his sudden change in pronouns suggesting that he was about to say something different, but I let it go. I'd worm it out of him some other time.

"What?! Tell me about it! Man, I got damn _raped_!" I complained. Inuyasha chuckled.

"C'mon. Let's head out."


	9. Chapter 9

When Inuyasha and I came to the hallway, I was shocked to find that the miasma had reached a quarter up the stairs. Breaking open the huge window was no difficult task, for all that had to be done was a few swift kicks, and it all shattered and fell to the ground below. I looked down and gulped in fear. I was deathly afraid of heights, so scared that I couldn't even summon the aural energy to transform. Tobushikai came up behind me, placing her hand on my shoulder and apparently sensing my discomfort.

"You're scared of heights, aren't you, Kagome?" she said quietly. I nodded shakily. I could feel Inuyasha's hard stare burning through my back as I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He was putting the two women on his back, not taking his eyes from me. I scowled slightly, feeling jealous for some reason. If Tobushikai sensed this also, she didn't bring it up. Instead, she offered, "I'll take you down if you want--" She was cut off by Inuyasha, who shoved her out of his way, but gently pushed me to the side as he leaped out of the window with the human girls. As he let them down, he yelled up to us, "Come _on_! Jeez! We don't have time to be gawking around!" Tobushikai growled down to him, "Don't rush us, you _ass_! We'll come when we're damn well ready!"

"Bitch, was I talking to you?!"

"I don't give a fuck whether you were or not! I was talking to _you_!" I groaned as the youkai jumped down with Inuyasha.

"Guys..." I sighed, loudly enough for Inuyasha's canine ears to hear as well as Tobushikai.

"Keh." He replied.

"But Ka-_go_-me!" Tobushikai whined. "He _started _it!"

"See? _Exactly _why I can't stand women! So whiny!" Jakoutsu scoffed, jumping out of the window.

"And I'd like to think you were coming soon, since that miasma is rising up there." Inuyasha called.

"Oh, wow, like we didn't already know that!" Tobushikai said sarcastically, before I could concur with him.

"Tobu-chan," I tried, in an effort to distract her. It worked, quite effectively. She turned to me, a bright smile on her face.

"Yes, Kagome-chan?" she grinned.

"Could you please carry me down now?"

"Uh-huh! Of course!" she giggled, and transformed. "Unlike that _dog _down there--no offense, sweetie—I won't sling you across my back as if you were a sack of potatoes."

"...Um...thanks...?" I let out a squeak of surprise when she picked me up into her arms, bridal-style, just as the purple gunk reached past the top stairs. My guess was that both Houjou and Kikyou were dead now. She swooped down out of the window, letting me down gently—or at least trying to, because I was so scared, I was clutching her back, which vibrated when I realized that she was purring and Inuyasha was...growling? Oy vey.

"You've never held onto me _this _tightly, Kagome..." she chuckled. I instantly released her.

"Okay, is this everybody?!" Inuyasha said impatiently. Looking around, everyone nodded. "Great. Follow me and Jakoutsu." Inuyasha began walking around the side of the house, where there was a garage door. "You ladies might wanna stand back...you too, Jakoutsu." We all did as he said. He drew back his fist so far, I heard joints cracking, before he slammed the fist into the garage door. He did leave a nasty dent, but that's all, and to add injury to insult, he hissed in pain, shaking his hand which was apparently sore. Tobushikai stepped forward, smirking, "Is that _all _you can do, you moronic mongrel?" He growled at her.

"You're really grating on my fucking nerves, bitch."

"If anything, _you're _even more of a bitch than I am!" she retorted.

"I guess so, when you like women more than I do!"

"Inuyasha!" I scolded. He looked at me. "That wasn't nice." As Tobushikai sneered smugly, he complained, "But Ka-_go_-me...! It's true!"

"But it wasn't _nice_."

"As much as I love to hear your melodic voice, Kagome...if it brings on more of this mutt's cacophonous whining, I'm afraid I'll have to cut it short. Allow _me_." Her arrogance reminded me of Kouga, but at least she could back it up. She slashed the metal up with her claws, creating, along with open tears in the door, a screeching noise that had us all shouting and covering our ears.

"Fuck, bitch!" Inuyasha hissed, plugging his sensitive ears. "That shit sounds worse than your voice!" Tobushikai scowled at him.

"Do you never have an insult at the ready?"

"It doesn't matter, 'cause you still didn't get the job done, dumbass." Jakoutsu groaned.

"You two are wasting precious time! Don't you know that that miasma could very well seep through and _kill the motherfucking car_?! Which belongs to me?! And I'll be god-_damned _if my brand-new ride gets fucked up because you fools keep fucking arguing!" he raged, ripping the four claw tears even farther, making a space large enough for us to get through. He was the first to do so, all of us following. Inuyasha let me go before him, but he hindered Tobushikai's way by going before her. I was so excited to get back to civilization. Jakoutsu got in the front seat of his Expedition, saying, "Only five people can fit in here, so it'll be me, Inuyasha, Kagome, and the two ningen."

"Fine with me." Inuyasha and I shrugged together, hopping in the car ourselves. Tobushikai looked like she was going to argue, but a steely look from Jakoutsu stopped her.

"Well, what about us youkai?" Tobushikai demanded.

"Just follow us. You should be fast enough to keep up, right?"

"Um...in other news," I cleared my throat, looking out the back window, "the miasma _is _seeping through." Jakoutsu whipped around and gaped at the purple goop dripping from upstairs.

"Then let's get to monkey-punchin'!" he roared. He turned the car to the right to reveal a wide downward tunnel. I gaped.

"So _that's _how you guys got here!" Inuyasha grinned audibly and Jakoutsu put the pedal to the metal. The Expedition went rumbling down the tunnel. There were actually little lights spiraling in it to illume our way. I gripped the sides of the chair as gravity threw me back and straightened me back up. When I could look back, I saw the demons running after us at hyperspeed. It was considerably necessary, due to the mere fact that Jakoutsu was gunning at damn near one hundred and fifty miles per hour. I took a glance at the speedometer. My mistake--he was going at the full two hundred.

"WHOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!!!!!!!!" he hooted happily, the pink dice on the rearview jangling mercilessly. Inuyasha's laughter reached my ears also, and it made me grin. The two ningen girls, Tenkoushi and Daijumi, seemed both nervous and excited. They'd probably never been in a car going so fast—or at least didn't remember it.

"Um...does she always drive like this?" Daijumi asked Inuyasha sheepishly.

"Heh, actually, _she _is a _he_, and as far as I know, he does." He smirked. The tunnel was apparently not very long, for the road was beginning to slant upward. And as fast as Jakoutsu was going, it would only lead to one thing...

The Expedition was actually about twenty-five feet in the air when we got out of the tunnel.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Inuyasha, Jakoutsu, and I screamed, before the car began lowering back onto the highway on which Danshi and Kenshi travelled when they were transporting me, literally hitting the hard tar with the wheels. My heart was racing with a thrill I'd only previously experienced in sex. I clutched my chest, laughing.

"Damn, Jakoutsu..." I panted once he'd returned to a normal speed. "I'm telling you, if the tunnel doesn't get deteriorated by the miasma, we _gotta _do that again—me, you, and Inuyasha, if he wants to come."

"Of course. Anything _that _fun—you crazy? Hell yeah, I'm coming." He grinned. I smiled to myself. The youkai were still coming up behind us, Tobushikai in the lead.

"Alrighty then, girls. Do you have any particular destinations in mind, or should I just drop you guys off any old place, 'cause I live with Kagome, and I'm sure she doesn't want any additions to her already humble abode."

"Um...actually, we live in the apartment building by the county complex."

"Gotcha!" Jakoutsu said.

"I hope all them other girls got places to go, too." Inuyasha said casually.

"Eh. I think they'll survive." I shrugged, stretching languorously. "_Man_...I just...I can't wait to get back home! I've missed it _sooo _much!"

"And I'll tell you who's missed _you_—Su—" I threw Jakoutsu a warning look for him to shut up and he stammered all over his words.

"Su who, Jakoutsu?" Inuyasha inquired.

"Su...su...su-su-su-su...the sudatorium! Yeah! Right! Right, right..."

"But there's no sudatorium where you and Kagome live."

"Oh, no, of course not, but...we go, like...across town to go to it. It's like, one of the only ones in the freaking Ryukyu area." I lied.

"Huh." Inuyasha seemed to pause for a few before sitting back in his seat.

"Damn, I hate this highway!" Jakoutsu said, changing the subject. "So fucking long, and those youkai don't get any more tired!" I shook my head, giggling along with Tenkoushi, while Inuyasha just rolled his eyes.

"Your friend is funny." Tenkoushi informed Inuyasha.

"Eh." I quirked an eyebrow. Was Tenkoushi developing a crush on Jakoutsu? There were so many things wrong with that.

"What's his name?" At this moment, Jakoutsu chose to loudly announce that he was turning on the radio. Inuyasha smirked.

"He's Jakoutsu." Said transsexual began singing obstreperously, apparently trying to drown out the sounds.

"He's cute." Jakoutsu sang louder. Inuyasha's smirk increased in size.

"And he _loves _women."

"Wow, really? I thought he said he couldn't stand women." Jakoutsu's singing got to the point where it seemed as though he were shouting, and Inuyasha was looking much like the Cheshire cat.

"Maybe you oughta try talkin' to him." Before Tenkoushi could respond, Jakoutsu slammed on the brake, flinging us all forward, then back. The youkai behind us had to skid to halts to avoid crashing into the bumper.

"Okay, now, that's enough!" Jakoutsu growled. "I am _not _cute, I do _not _love women, and little girl, don't you listen to that asshole one more minute!"

By the time we came back from Tenkoushi and Daijumi's apartment, it was after midnight. Jakoutsu and I were asleep, the youkai had parted ways, and Inuyasha was now driving.

"Hey. Kagome. Wake up." I felt Inuyasha's clawed hand shaking my shoulder lightly. I awakened slowly, feeling groggy. I rubbed my eyes and was met with the neon lights of nighttime Japan.

"Hey, whoa...it's nice out at night." I said, still a bit sleepy. "Are we almost home?" Awake enough to notice the slip, but too sleepy to care much, I awaited Inuyasha's response. He chuckled.

"Yeah."

"Y'know...it's fucking late, and this is Jakoutsu's car. You should stay the night at my place tonight. After all, you know how strict the po-po are with...big-ass purple SUVs out after dark."

"Right. Sure." He nodded. We sat in an easy silence for a few, before he said, "Y'know, I don't think your friend likes me very much."

"Who, Tobushikai? Nah...she's just jealous of you."

"Hm. Never had a dike be jealous of me before..." he grinned, evidently seeing a humorous side to the situation that I could not locate.

"Yes, well, you've also never had a dike take advantage of you in a weak state and damn near rape you. But I digress." I said conversationally. We pulled up to my condo, quietly opening our doors, so as not to wake Jakoutsu.

"I'll carry the guy in. He'd probably bitch at me if I woke him up." I smirked, seeing the truth in his words, and headed for the condo door. I was mildly shocked to see that the door was open. I waited until Inuyasha came in and put Jakoutsu in his bed to curse him out.

"Why in fuck's name was my goddamned door open?! With crackheads, hookers, and thieves running about Japan!"

"Calm down, Kagome." He rolled his eyes, sitting on my couch. "It's not that big of a deal."

"The hell it isn't! I get back home after damn _two weeks_, and my house is vulnerable to a goddamn robbery?! That is some bullshit!" I hissed.

"Look, do _you _feel anything unfamiliar lingering around here as if somebody stole something?" I took a few seconds to verify his correctitude. I gave a small humph. "Exactly. So what point is there in bitching over nothing?" Plopping down on the couch beside him, I grumbled, "What the hell ever, man." Feeling slightly uncomfortable about it, I went to cut off the lights before coming back to sit down. "I can't stand wasting light energy. I hope you two didn't have my goddamn lights on forever, either!"

"Oh, yeah, Kagome." He drawled, sarcasm dripping as thick as Houjou's miasma. "Me and Jakoutsu threw us a _big-ass light party_. We had every single light on in the house for twenty-four hours straight."

"I don't appreciate your caustic remarks, buddy."

"I'm sure you don't. But then, I don't care." He shrugged, flipping the channel, and it was then that I realized that that bastard had my motherfucking remote! Who the hell did he think he was, lording over my goddamned remote like that?!

"Hey! Gimme my remote!" He scoffed.

"Hell no." I made a grab for it, but he snatched it out of my reach.

"Give—it!" I grunted, making repeated grabs for the remote control, but to no avail. I actually fell forward into his lap trying to get the thing, but he further pissed me off by tossing the remote into his left hand, where I could barely reach it. "Damn it, Inuyasha! You're being an asshole!"

"And you're being a bitch." He taunted. "So I guess we're both just being ourselves, hmm?"

"Okay. That's it." I got off of the couch and stalked into my room. I came back out in a red cotton t-shirt, a pair of fluffy pajama pants, and a large pair of flocculent black puppy slippers. A pillow was in my hand, and I stuffed it in the back of my pants as I slithered across the floor, ready to sneak up on Inuyasha. I got as far as behind the couch and slowly rising, pillow in hand, when suddenly, Inuyasha biffed me in the head with a couch pillow, not even looking from the tv.

"Kagome, you suck at being stealthy, you know that?" I growled and smacked him in the head with my pillow. He was motionless for a few moments, before standing and mechanically walking over to me. He looked me dead in the eye for about five seconds and I blinked, confused. Then I remembered he still had his pillow once he whapped me in the arm with it. We stared at each other for all of two seconds before an all-out pillow fight commenced. It got to the point where Inuyasha must've _accidentally _got me in my bosom, and that shit _hurt_.

"Hey!" I cried out, covering my chest and bashing him in his balls with my pillow. His eyes widened and he scrunched up in a fetal position. "Bastard..." I muttered.

"That..." he wheezed. "...was a low blow!"

"Yeah, well, _you _don't have breasts. ...Well, you do, but they're not as big as mine."

"At least I can make mine jump..." he grunted, recovering from the blow I dealt.

"Urf. I hate when guys do that. I really can't believe you think we _like _that junk."

"Hey, some do."

"Yeah? Well, _I _don't, and if you do it around me, I'll wring your scrawny little neck." He snickered.

"You never were exactly stupid." He commented, sitting against the back of the sofa. I joined him, saying, "Mental? Yes. Stupid? Hell no." I rested my head in my palms, my elbows on my knees. I sighed, suddenly feeling quite old.

"Hmm? What's wrong with you?" Inuyasha asked.

"Nothing's wrong with me. Well, not now. But it's just that...I've been through what seems like hell in my short twenty-one years of living. I feel fucking ancient...and tired..." I laid out onto my stomach, head now in the crook of my elbow as I brooded. My eyes widened when I felt an extra weight on my back. A low voice whispered in my ear, "Then let me relieve your old bones..." I gulped when I heard the click of the off button on the remote. ...Oy vey...


	10. Chapter 10

For one who was always more or less enthusiastic about sex—more specifically, consentaneous, heterosexual sex—it seemed very out of my character to be so nervous about that which I've done approximately 438 times and counting. Here Inuyasha, the man of my _dreams_—literally—was, _on top of me_, all hot and bothered, and on top of it all, his _dick was rock hard_, and I didn't even want him? As Jakoutsu and Seimegami would both no doubt say...What in fuck's name is _wrong _with me?!?! I felt the poundage on my torso let up, then realized that Inuyasha was basically sitting on my butt. His hands lay on my shoulders and only one thought came to mind.

_SEXUAL MASSAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

...I mentally anime-sweatdropped. Seimegami couldn't been just a _bit _more subtle about it?

_Oh, puh-leaze! You haven't been properly sexed in **weeks**! I swear to Kami, if you don't enjoy this, I'll rip out your genitals!_

I shuddered, horrified at the thought. So I forced myself to try to relax, but as you would imagine, that didn't turn out so well. However, once Inuyasha got to kneading the fulminant pain in my bones, the relaxation took care of itself. My shoulders instantly slackened and so did my neck.

"Oohhh..." I unconsciously groaned, not caring about the embarrassment anymore. I felt like I was on that soporific philter again. Thinking back, it was mondo hard to believe that it just happened today, what with all that's occurred. Also forgetting the nervousness, I felt extremely lazy now, and figured that I'd just let Inuyasha have his way with me. Now that I really thought about it...I didn't care anymore. Nothing mattered to me right now. It was dark, a hot guy was on top of me, ready to fuck me, and I was sleepy. Okay, so that was the only thing really out of place, but hey, who's complaining? Two out of three isn't horrible. And besides, even if I did go to sleep now, there was always tomorrow, right? "Right..." I mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"Right there..." He masticated lower, into the small of my back. My eyes drooped further as his hands made their way down my pants to squeeze my bottom. I chuckled blearily, and thought no more of it when he gently turned me onto my back, inching down my pants and panties and taking them completely off. He flung them somewhere I couldn't see, because now my eyes were completely closed. I was expecting him to fill me up with that veiny rod of his, but instead, something hot and moist hit my clitoris. My eyes almost shot up in shock. What was he doing? He parted my legs and sucked the pink hemisphere. I could feel my fluids pouring from me like a waterfall as I enjoyed this new experience. As much as I did love it, though...something inside of me was telling me that this wasn't right for some reason, and I was never one to ignore my instincts. With a half-asleep hand, I pushed away Inuyasha's head, picking up my clothes and heading for the bathroom and wash again. He stared after me, obviously confused, surprised, and somewhat hurt.

"Jeez, dude...now I gotta bathe _again_? My skin _still _hurts." I mumbled, too sleepy to even do that, and I collapsed the carpeted floor about two feet away from my previous location.

"Kagome!" He rushed over to my side, checking me over. "Are you okay?" I muttered something incoherent, voice muffled by the carpet. I rolled onto my back.

"_Juuuust _peachy. I'd appreciate if you'd put back on my clothes, please." I was too tired to be startled by the fact that I'd said please for the second time in _years_. He hesitated before nodding and slipping on my pants and panties. "Hell, I'll bathe again in the morning. I'm dead tired now."

"D'you want me to carry you to your bed?" he asked.

"Nah...carpet's soft, warm...kinda like your hair." I yawned, cuddling up to him, my cheek brushing against his metallic strands. He looked surprised for a little while, and questioned, "Why didn't you want me to continue?" I sighed, really not feeling up to the explanation, but I figured he deserved _that _much.

"Really...I don't want to have sex with you, Inuyasha, unless I'm certain you feel the same way about me that I do about you. I don't want this to be another one-night stand, a hit-and-run relationship, a—"

"Okay, okay, I get it...so you would have sex with dozens of other guys who just lust for you and don't feel anything, but you wouldn't do the same for me?"

"Hell no, because with them, it's just _sex_. If it were you, I'd actually _feel _something, instead of just sexual gratification for a little while."

"That's fucked up, Kagome."

"Well...fucked up it may be, but that's just the way of my world."

"Hmm. But I told you I liked you, though. That's not good enough?"

"_No_, that's not good enough!" I protested, feeling annoyed. Was he this thick-headed? "_Try _to be smart, Inuyasha—do you smell recent sex on me?" Before he said anything, I added peevishly, "And not that of another woman's!" He paused to sniff me.

"No—so? It's not like you haven't done it before." Now I was beginning to get pissed.

"Yes! _Blame _the nymphomaniac woman! It's _her _fault she has to have sex to mentally survive! No, it's _not _the fault of the asshole who took her virginity, but _her_ fault!" I snarled sarcastically.

"Yeah, it's your fault! Nobody told you to go off and have no mental breakdown!" Inuyasha harrumphed stubbornly. I clenched my fists until blue veins popped out. I ground my quickly developing fangs together in an effort to remain calm. Maybe if I just didn't say anything, he'd shut up and if I were really lucky, he'd leave. Hell, he's a hanyou—he can _run_. "Why don't you say something? Huh? Because you know I'm _right_, don't you? Yeah! You _made _yourself have a breakdown 'cause you wanted attention after I rejected you!" Before either of us could think or say anything further, he was sporting four bloody gashes on his face. I turned to him, heaving angrily, claws dripping with his warm blood. Inuyasha gawked at me, lightly touching his bloody face and whimpering when he felt the blood that I smelled. He fell to his hands and knees, hair curtaining over his face and crimson grume pouring onto the ends of his hair.

"Shut the fuck up, you disgusting bastard. You _sicken _me. How _dare _you blame Kagome for what she became." That was Seimegami talking, and her voice was different from mine, so it startled Inuyasha.

"You...you bitch..." he whispered, his aura seeming to pulse like a heartbeat. I cocked an eyebrow, wondering what he was doing.

"What're you up to, hanyou?" Seimegami demanded suspiciously. His aura was changing—strengthening. I didn't like it, not one bit. His claws dug into the floor, obviously longer and solider. He raised his head to growl at me menacingly and I fought the urge to gape at what I saw. Where my claws had lacerated him, were now two horizontal purple stripes, about the same color as my eyes. It was as if the marks faded into his skin and formed these stripes, because I could no longer smell blood, just that on the tips of his hair, now longer and silvery-blue. These stripes were on both cheeks. His eyes had also changed—his irises were carmine, his pupils navy blue. On his forehead was a moderately-sized indigo crescent moon. This new appearance seemed somewhat familiar to me--or at least, to Seimegami, but I paid no attention to the sensation of familiarity. He glared at me.

"BITCH!" he spat. I crossed my arms, scoffing at him.

"Not yours." Growling, he raised his hand to smack me, possibly breaking skin and provoking blood, but I seized his wrist tightly, stopping him in mid-air. He balled up his fist, trying to escape my clutch, but all he succeeded in doing was pissing me off more...oh, and making his veins show even more. I was cutting off his circulation, but at the moment, I didn't much care. As he continued in his attempts to get out of my grasp, his hand began to blanch. I merely glowered at him in his feral endeavors to chew off his hand at his wrist, like a coyote. "Dumbass."

"Release me, bitch! I command it of you!"

"And who exactly are you to command _me_? My alpha male? Surely not, for I am not _your _alpha bitch."

"I repeat—release me, before I take drastic action!"

"Your former attempt at "drastic action" is what got you into this situation in the first place. And all you will accomplish in gnawing at your wrist is puncturing your vein and killing yourself. Stupid." He yanked his arm and I let go, making him fall back. "_Clumsy _and stupid." He grumbled something insulting as he shook his palish hand.

"Idiot. If your claws had hit that vein, you'd've done it yourself. And frankly, I don't think you could live without me." His fangs poked out over his lip in a curling sneer.

"One never knows." I sighed dramatically, lying down on the floor, my right leg over my left and my hands interlocked behind my head. My right foot tapped in the air as I continued, "For all he's worth, Kouga would make an excellent replacement." The sneer died from his lips to be replaced with an envious scowl. I could tell by his scent.

"And just who the hell is Kouga?" I laughed out loud, seeing the sheer irony of his words, as Kouga had said them the first time I transformed for him. "This is fucking funny to you, bitch?!" His finger joints cracking menacingly.

"Yes, actually, it is."

"Well, while you're yukking it up, tell me who Kouga is!"

"Why does it concern you so much? He's just a paramour...who's madly in love with me." I shrugged. "And is a wolf demon." I added, just to tick him off. I had a fetish for jealousy in a man, particularly when directed towards another man associated with myself also. Inuyasha was no exception, and despite the fact that I couldn't stand him at present and that we weren't going to be having sex anytime soon, he was turning me on quite a great deal. His current growling was music to my enhanced ears, and I knew that he knew I was telling the truth. "What's with you? I told you, _I'm not your alpha bitch._"

"No...not yet..." he mumbled under his breath.

"Excuse you?" The next thing I knew, Inuyasha was on top of me, trapping my wrists under his hands and staring down at me balefully. Well, more specifically, at my chest, since I happened to be trying to squirm away. He lowered his mouth near my ear, and what he whispered was more than resounding to me.

"You are not yet my bitch, but you will soon be." For some reason, Seimegami didn't take too kindly to this, and she thrashed my body in protest, screaming, "I am the _megami no sei_, you asshole! I can be contained by _no _man, especially some indecisive hanyou! Never shall I be the bitch of _anyone_!"

"Is that right...Seimegami?" Inuyasha's voice changed completely, and I for one didn't recognize it, but Seimegami gasped in shock. She seemed to know the voice. "Yes...you remember me, do you, Gami-chan?" ...Whoa. Now _that _I was not expecting. I've never heard _anyone _refer to the goddess of sex as _Gami-chan_.

_Yo, who's your friend?_

Seimegami apparently hadn't been paying attention to me, for her eyes softened and she whispered, "Seikami...my mate..." **_SSSCCCRRREEECCCH!!!!!!!!!! _**Let's just _slow _it down here! Too much information to process! So...Seimegami has a _mate_. Who just happens to be her male counterpart, the _god _of sex, and who's apparently inhabited Inuyasha's body, just as Seimegami did mine. What I don't understand is how the goddess of sex can have a mate! How can she be so stabilized so as to be confined to only one guy? I bet they have, like...nonstop sex or something. Wait, how can they?! Inuyasha and I have only had sex once! Ohh...I'm mega confused.

"Because I could've sworn that you were _my _bitch." He said teasingly.

"I...I'm...gomen, koishii..." Seimegami muttered, my face pinking for her.

"Now, why don't you come out of Kagome's body and greet your mate?" He smiled, and a gossamer figure, which I presumed to be a spirit, stepped out of Inuyasha's body. The hanyou reverted back to his normal appearance, yet remained staring blankly at the godly physique before him. The same occurred of me, as Seimegami's own disembodied spirit shyly edged her way out of my body. Unsurprisingly, Seimegami was undeniably beautiful, and her mate was sculpturesque. But then, I would expect no less of the god and goddess of _sex_! Seikami held out his arms and, though somewhat reluctantly, Seimegami walked into his strong embrace. As a female, it was only my prerogative to think it sweet and romantic.

"Aw...!" I cooed, human emotions overtaking me.

"Blech." Inuyasha mock-gagged, rolling his eyes. "Gross, dude."

"Oh, grow up, Inuyasha!" I snapped, turning mushy eyes onto the scene. "It's _so sweet_!"

"I think I'm gonna hurl." Seikami chuckled.

"You know, Inuyasha, you remind me of...well, myself when I was around your age."

"When you were--for god's sake--no pun intended--you look damn _eighteen_!"

"True, but in actuality, I'm much older." He replied, pulling away from Seimegami, who was blushing like a little schoolgirl. Inuyasha and I looked at each other.

"Jeez, Seimegami, by the way you're discoloring, you'd think you never had sex before." I said bluntly. Seikami laughed richly, the sound almost enough to put me to sleep. And speaking of sleep...just how in the hell could Jakoutsu be so heavy a sleeper as not to awaken to all these sounds?!

"She has been like this with me ever since we first met. I can see now that centuries of being mated has not changed that. Gami-chan..." He uplifted her chin and smiled at her. She looked back at him with doe eyes. "I think you need to have a small talk with Inuyasha. I will speak to Kagome."

"Hah? Speak to Kagome about what, now?" I repeated. Seikami led me away a good distance.

"Listen to me well, Kagome." He said in a low voice. "Inuyasha does love you." My eyes widened.

"...He...but...when...?...how do you know that?" I stammered weakly, sitting down on the floor before my knees gave out. Seikami laughed softly, joining me on the floor.

"I've occupied Inuyasha's body for a long while, Kagome. I know everything about him that there is to know--I even know things _he _doesn't know about himself. One of those things is that he loves you, but he doesn't know how to properly express his love for you."

"Wait..." I shook my head. I was intelligent enough, sure, but I was also quite mental, so I couldn't process but so much at a time. "So if you know that, why don't you tell him? And furthermore, why not _help _him express it? Why don't you just surface and tell me that he loves me?"

"First question: I've tried to do so, but Inuyasha is awfully stubborn, and won't believe it. His heart cries out to me. It says that _it_ knowshe loves you, but his mind doesn't, and he blocks you out sometimes because he doesn't know whether you reciprocate his feelings. He also doesn't want you to get too close to him, because he is hanyou, and some don't take kindly to hanyous." Seikami took a moment to sigh out of sadness and compassion for Inuyasha. My heart also bled for him.

"Ohh...but...I mean...why would he think I didn't love him? He knows what I've been through these past years."

"He truly believes it all to be a ploy for attention." Seikami sighed again. "Poor fool. To be so blind..."

"Yeah."

"But anyway...second question: any kind of "help" from me could only lead to disaster. He must tell you on his own. If I were to do it, Inuyasha's body would dispel me and he would never admit it himself."

"Aw, man..." I grumbled. "So I have to _wait _for him to tell me, from his heart?" Seikami nodded. "That's crappy, _dude_."

"_Crappy _though it may be," Seikami chuckled, "I have to go now. I'm sorry. I need to return back to Inuyasha's body, for if I don't, and my spiritual manifestation could waver and I could fade into the afterlife."

"...Damn. I hadn't realized how much was involved in the whole specter business." Seikami shrugged, smiling. "One more quick question, and then I'll let you go."

"Of course."

"Um...just...just how in all the hells did you, a nice, kind, optimistic guy, end up as the god of sex? And with a cynical, sardonic girl like Seimegami, no less?"

"(chortles) I don't know. I've always been like this, and women are naturally attracted to me. But Seime-chan...she used to be a shy, sweet girl, just like me. I guess being with me changed her. Frankly, I like her like this, too." He leaned over to whisper, "Much more aggressive in bed." I looked at him, lips pursed in sarcastic disapproval.

"That tidbit of information I could really live without." I sniffed. Seikami laughed, and stepped away from me, tapping his mate on the shoulder. She turned to face his gently smiling face, and I couldn't help but feel all bathetic inside.

"Seimegami...we must part ways now. We will not see each other again until it is done."

"Yes, I...I understand." My eyes felt a little damp as I stared at the warm display before me in awe and slight jealousy. "Goodbye, my mate..." Seimegami headed towards me and walked right into me, Seikami doing the same with Inuyasha. Though the two spirits had returned to our bodies, their demonic natures had subsided and we remained normal. I gazed at Inuyasha, who stared back at me. Before I could contain myself, I bit my lip to stifle a cry and flung myself into his arms, howling an apology.

"Inuyasha, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do...whatever it was I did to make us start fighting like this!" He looked at me, startled, and apparently didn't know how to react to me actually _hugging _him.

"K...Keh...damn emotional female..." he muttered, his body tense for a few moments before relaxing and wrapping his arms around me. "No...it's my fault, Kagome. I'm sorry. For being a big idiot, and jumping to idiotic conclusions." I smiled into his shoulder. Today really held a lot of firsts for me: my first spirit spectacle, my first drawing blood...and my first apology. And all in the same day!

I suddenly felt very tired again...


	11. Chapter 11

My hand trembled. "Jakoutsu, I...I don't know if I can..."

"Yes! You _can_! Hell, if _you _don't do it, you know for damn sure I will!"

"No! I'll do it myself..." I gulped. I was mere inches away from it. Jakoutsu tapped his foot impatiently.

"Bitch, just pick it up, put it on your face, and _talk to it_!"

"...I _can't_...!" I wailed. Jakoutsu glared at me.

"Kagome, I swear to _God_, if you don't pick up that phone, I'll kill you."

"How can you?! Isn't your switchblade still in Houjou's leg?!" I cried out.

"There is such a thing as a pawn shop, fool." He withdrew another, shinier blade from his back pocket. "As Lil' Kim once said many a song ago: "Lunatics in the street--gotta keep the heat." (That's from _How Many Licks_, featuring Sisqo.)

"But it's a cold blade."

"Don't try to divert my attention, Kagome. Call all five of my brothers and _break it off _with 'em."

"But...but what about Suikoutsu? I mean, he's so fragile--I don't think his heart can take--"

"STOP BEING A PUSSY AND CALL HIM, DAMN YOU!"

"Okay, okay, I'm picking up the phone!" I cried. As I dialed his number, figuring I'd get him over with, I grumbled, "I don't understand why I have to do this crap in the first place..."

"Because, dumbass, if you expect to have any kind of relationship with our favorite hanyou, he needs to rest assured that you won't be running around fucking anybody else."

"But I _haven't _fucked anybody since the Tobushikai incident. _Three weeks ago_!" After four rings, when there was no answer, I hung up, slumping in my chair.

"...Whoa, that's a record for you, isn't it?"

"Ugh...you have no idea how hard it's been...I have to resort to an alternative outlet for my overactive sex drive."

"I hope you're not masturb--"

"Don't! Even _try _me like that! I'll cut off your boy parts." There was silence for a few, during which Jakoutsu stared at me dryly, me fidgeting nervously under his gaze. "...Y'know, never mind that."

"Yeah."

"Hey, where is Inuyasha anyway?"

"If he ain't here, I dunno. I don't keep track of the guy's social life."

"I didn't ask you all that."

"Was I talking to you?"

"You must've been, 'cause there's nobody else here."

"Well, maybe I was talking to myself."

"Yeesh, and I thought I was the crazy one. You been puff, puff, giving again?"

"I been puff, puffing, but not giving..." Jakoutsu smirked, and I laughed. "Alright, now you can call the asshole brother."

"What, Renkoutsu? I don't think you have to worry about him; I haven't fucked him in about three months."

"Cripes."

"So...Bankoutsu next?"

"Yeah. He's a little ass fiend, you know that? I'm surprised he hasn't torn your door off its hinges to get to you."

"He's not stupid, that's why. Now _his _boy parts I'll cut off!" I grinned as I called his cell.

Out of the five brothers I used to fuck, I could only reach three--Bankoutsu, Kyoukoutsu, and Ginkoutsu. All of them, begging me not to break it off, but frankly, I couldn't bring myself to much care about them anymore. Now, trust and believe, there were still a good five more burdens on my back, but I wasn't particularly worried about them. _Kouga _was my only real problem, so much so that I postponed my break-off with him for another week or so. A few hours after I'd broken it off with Jakoutsu's brothers, the two of us were watching TV and dipping into some luscious peach ice cream, when the phone rang. Jakoutsu and I looked at each other, carefully put our cartons down on the floor, and made mad dashes to get to the phone. I leaped over the back of the couch; Jakoutsu sped around it. The bastard tripped me up, but I grabbed the back of his ankle and clambered over him. I leaped at the phone, tucking my legs in near me so that Jakoutsu couldn't grab them--not for lack of trying, of course--and right after I snatched up the phone, I hit the kitchen floor.

"Hello?" I groaned.

"Um...Kagome?" It was Suikoutsu, sounding slightly bemused.

"Oh, hi, Sui-kun!" I laughed, holding the phone out of Jakoutsu's reach. "What's up?" I had completely forgotten about my task until he said, "You called me earlier?"

"..." I nearly dropped the phone. "Oh...oh, yeah. Right. Actually, I have something to tell you..."

"Surprisingly, I was going to call you anyway, because _I _had something to tell _you_!"

"...Really?"

"Uh-huh!" He sounded very enthusiastic about whatever it was. Maybe he bought me something...? "Kagome...this isn't gonna be easy for me, but...we have to break it off." With the phone's volume on full blast, Jakoutsu had heard every single word he'd uttered. His eyes widened, his mouth agape, and his jaw began to tremble. He clamped his hands over his mouth, his eyes beginning to water. I glared menacingly at him.

"But why, Suikoutsu?!"

"I'm sorry, Kagome, but...I've met someone else." Now wasn't _that _a bitch!?

"No, but _I _was gonna break it--"

"I know it's hard for you, Kagome, but..try to sleep tonight, okay?" There was a female voice in the background and I could practically see Suikoutsu grinning ear to ear. Before I could protest and break it off with _him_ first, he continued, "Sorry, Kagome, but that's her! We're going on a date. See you around!" He even hung up before I could! Livid with embarrassment, I slammed the phone back down onto the receiver, and glared at Jakoutsu, daring him to say anything. He bolted back into the living room and collapsed on the couch in fitful guffawing.

"SON-OF-A-BITCH!" I raged, stomping to the couch and shoving Jakoutsu onto the floor, which only provoked more laughter.

"Oh...! Oh-ho-ho-ho...!" Jakoutsu snickered.

"No more of this shall we speak, got it?!" I growled at him.

"Okay. Okay. I'm calm now." He exhaled, face straight, with the exception of a few stray twitches. "So...um..." Jakoutsu smiled, picking up his ice cream and dipping into it. "What exactly is it that you do as an alternate for sex?"

"...Promise not to tell anybody?" Jakoutsu nodded. "_Especially _not Inuyasha?" Jakoutsu nodded fast. "_Swear not to tell_?" Jakoutsu nodded faster. "Swear on your family's grave and hope to die with a burnt needle stuck in both your pupils forever?" Jakoutsu nodded so fast, his bangs flopped. I sighed.

"Just get on with it! Damn! We all already know it's masturbating, so just--"

"Actually..." I cut him off, glaring. "...I dance. Happy?" Jakoutsu blinked.

"_Seriously?! _Get the _hell_ outta here!" he gasped sarcastically. "That is just _so _major! I don't know how I can keep that secret!"

"Ha-ha."

"Did I laugh? I don't recall it. But really, how big of a secret is that, now? Everybody dances."

"Um...not how _I _dance." I muttered. He cocked his eyebrow.

"Just exactly how _do _you dance?"

"In a very...very..._very _explicitly sexual fashion. I designed it myself. I also found something out about myself."

"Like...? What, did you discover an erogenous zone?"

"That, among others, and...I'm flexible."

"...Flexible? Like how?"

"Um...hold on, lemme show you one of my positions." Jakoutsu had a curious look on his face as I headed to a clear spot on the floor. I stood up stock straight, sighing. I bent my torso backward.

"Okay, what's so bad about--...oh...my...fuck..." Jakoutsu had a rather amusing rictus on his face as I held both my ankles with both my hands, head almost touching the floor, but legs still unbowed. "UUUUUGGGGHHH!!!! That is _nasty_!" Jakoutsu yelled, scampering up onto the top of the couch.

"Actually, I'm not done yet...hold on..." I rolled so that I was in the same position, but my front torso was on the floor. My breasts were somewhat pained, but I ignored it, and bent my knees to the point where my head was between them. Holding my legs secure, I let my feet touch the ground, and to keep balance, let my hands do the same. Jakoutsu was actually cowering in wonderment, and he winced visibly when I returned my body to its normal stature, a few joints cracking noisily as I did so. I sat back on the couch, calmly and casually eating my ice cream. Jakoutsu cautiously came back to my side, staring at me and nearly missing his mouth as he directed his spoon.

"Um...how in hell...?"

"A lot of practice." I sighed, cracking my neck from side to side.

"Jeez...you should be a stripper. That's more your forte than being unemployed."

"Eh. Too many diseases out there nowadays. STDs, you know." Jakoutsu suddenly broke out into a monkey grin.

"My best friend is a strip-per!" he teased. "She poppin' and rollin', so nasty! And she climbin' that pole, 'cause my best friend is a _strip_-per!"

"Shut up, Jakoutsu..." I muttered. "Like I said, don't tell anybody that shit, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah...say, what else can you do?"

"I don't think you'd want to see if _that _grossed you out."

"Just how in the hell do you work that into a dance?"

"...Huh. Y'know, I just thought of that. I'll just call it a yoga position or something. Yoga's actually pretty good for your health. It balances your mental and physical states."

"Shouldn't you be more worried about the mental state?" Jakoutsu snickered. I biffed him in his head.

"Okay, I think we've had enough crazy jokes for today!" I said loudly.

At around three, Jakoutsu left, claiming that he didn't feel like just lounging around the house all day, to which I replied, "Lounging around the house is my profession. I make a living from it." So I was there al by myself, with not a damn thing to do. I considered some yoga, but my legs and boobs still hurt from my previous demonstration. Therefore, the random idea of cleaning up came to me. Lazy though I was, I was also corrupted by boredom, so I gathered up Jakoutsu's and my dirty clothes to do a little washing. I figured that the clothes I was currently wearing could've used some cleansing, too, and tossed those in the machine. I dug up my old DS out of the closet and sat atop the washing machine in a red bra and black panties to play it. Turned out that the vibration from the washer did wonders for horniness, but completely fucked up my game. Hand kept shaking when I tried to move Mario with the little pen. In my frustration at accidentally falling into the stupid spike pit _again_, I threw down the game, sulking and pouting like a little child. Well...there goes my entertainment for the day. _Beautiful_... Now I had to buy a new DS in addition to a new cell phone. Life sucked at present.

There came a knock at the door. I cocked an eyebrow, wondering who it could be. Like I said before, no women ever visited me, so I didn't really have to worry about covering up my half-nakedness. It had to have been a guy, so I hopped off of the washing machine and skipped--literally--to the door.

"Yes?" I trilled, then paused. Could I possibly sing? Hmm...It gave me something else to think about later on that month. "Who is it?"

"It's Kouga, dollface." My brain crashed to a screeching halt. _¿Ah, mi Dios. Kouga ..why? ¡Por qué Kouga, para la consideración de Dios?!_ (Oh, my God...why Kouga? Why Kouga, for God's sake?! In Spanish. I thought I switch it up a bit, hehe.)

"Um...I-I don't have any clothes on!" I called through the door, mentally berating myself for such a stupid excuse. When has that ever stopped me from opening the damn door?!_ ¡Maldígame y mis maneras de whorish!_ (Damn me and my whorish ways! Thank God for the Internet.)

"Heh, that never stopped you before." The doorknob twisted and Kouga let himself in. I glared at him, indignant.

"Excuse you! Barging into people's houses like you _own _something around here!" I chastised, but he didn't seem to be paying me much attention. He was too busy ogling my half-nudity. I anime-sweatdropped, brows furrowed, especially when I noticed his pants get tight. Oh, no, no, _hell _no! There would be none of that today, no sir! "Are you done rubbernecking me? Because the machine just dinged. Just tell me why you're here so you won't be here anymore." Kouga snapped out of his gaze, leering at me amorously.

"Kagome, don't play coy with me. It's not your nature, y'know." I quirked my eyebrow.

"And you're telling me you _know _my nature?"

"I've known you long enough to. Why shouldn't I?"

"Because maybe that's not my nature anymore, hmm?"

"Heh! That's funny. C'mon, let's go; my pants are gettin' uncomfy, and I can smell your arousal."

"Whatever the case, it ain't for you, so if that's what you're looking for, an outlet for your _hotness_, you'd better turn the hell right back out my damn door." He looked surprised, as well he should've been; I'd never said these words to him like this before, especially not so seriously. Then he broke out into a grin.

"Oh, _I _see--we're playing the hard-to-get game! Hehe, I see you! O-Okay, Kagome, but what if I don't leave?" he stammered playfully. I continued to look at him sternly. "Are you gonna beat me?"

"I'm gonna send your stupid ass out. That's it; Kouga, we're through. I'm sick of all this meaningless sex." His eyes widened and he dropped the stupid act.

"Meaningless? But...I mean, it's not _meaningless_! I told you, I love you!"

"Yeah, but I don't love _you_. It's not consentient, and is therefore meaningless to _me_. One-sided sex is no longer on my mind. Sorry. Uh, you can leave now, and please don't slam my door--thank you very much and goodbye." I turned on my heel and headed back to the laundry room, not bothering to look back at Kouga. Before I could reclaim my spot on the washing machine, too lazy to take out the clothes and put them in the dryer yet, the laundry room door slammed behind me. I whipped around to see Kouga growling angrily.

_Yuh-oh. He looks pissed._

She chooses _now _of all times to give her stupid opinion! _¡Tiempo de sucky de goddamned!_ (Goddamned sucky timing! Okay, okay, no more from here, I swear! (Snickers))

_D'you think you could stop speaking Spanish now?_

"How _dare _you deny your alpha?!"

_**HER WHAT?!?!?!?!?!**_

"**_MY WHAT?!?!?!?!?!_**" I screamed in outrage.

"You heard me, bitch! You are to obey your alpha!" My fists clenched, but I forced myself to calm down.

"You don't own me, Kouga." I felt a weird sense of deja vu again. "I'm not your mate, and I never will be. If anything...I'll be Inuyasha's mate. That's why I broke it off with you, but you're so fucking dense, you can't see when somebody doesn't want you!" And that's when I noticed Kouga's body begin to enlarge, his torso getting muscular to the point where his shirt ripped off. His feet turned into those of an actual wolf, in animal terms, and his hands became paws. His nose deformed into a snout, and his fangs elongated. Basically...he turned into a huge wolf monster, fur and all. I gulped as my eyes trailed down to the much thicker bulge in his pants. "Umm...did I mention that...you're my alpha? Hehe..." I laughed nervously. "Ow!" I hissed, feeling a sharp pain in my soul.

_Don't even play._

"Goddamn it..."

"I shall make you mine, bitch, the traditional way." His fangs gleamed under fluorescent light as he smirked, openmouthed, at me. As he was blocking the door, there was no way out, so I had to make use of what was available to me. I considered the clothes, but really, what good would that do? 'Oh, here's a smart idea, let me throw a pair of panties at him, that'll stop him!'? No. It'd probably turn him on...

"Okay, now...I'm not exactly certain of what the "traditional way" of mating actually _entails_, but you need to leave." He took a step toward me, and I took one back. My heel hit the washing machine and I found myself sorely wishing I could pick it up and bash Kouga over the head with it...

He ripped off his pants, and to my horror, his erection had torn through the elastic of his underwear and was pointing straight at me. My eye twitched. "I...don't exactly think that _that _will fit into _me_."

"I'll make it fit." Kouga snorted, stepping in so close to me that his cock, which I previously found so arousing, but now only scared the hell out of me, was pushing against the fabric of my panties. He grinned open-mouthed at me, his hot breath hitting me dead-on and repulsing me. As a wild wolf, his breath _stunk_ to high heaven! I wanted to cover my nose, but knew that it would expose me to him even more, so just dealt with it. I tried to ease back, but he must've thought that I was grinding against him, because his grin only widened and he tightly put his arms around my smaller-by-comparison frame. He clawed off my panties, one of my favorite pairs, too, and wasted no time in pumping into me mercilessly. Under any other circumstance, I would've enjoyed it, but this time, now that his dick had to have been at least fourteen inches long and three inches thick, it _hurt_. A _lot_. Hell, I hadn't been in this much pain during sex since Inuyasha took my virginity! I whimpered, daring not show my pain any other way.

"Seimegami, help me!" I hissed under my breath, heart palpitating.

_I **can't **help you! You're too scared to let me surface! Let go of that fear!_

I tried to, but it was hard when you were already getting raped. My luck couldn't suck worse; this was, what, the third time I'd gotten ravished.

_As long as he doesn't do it from the back..._

Why was that a problem? He'd done it before.

_Not when he was attempting to make you his mate!_

...Gulp. Only now did I realize that Kouga was a _canine_. Idiot me...and then something else came to mind.

_**HE COULD IMPREGNATE ME!!!!**_

_...Yeah...did I forget to mention that?_

That was the last straw. No chance or...no...I attempted to fight Kouga off. I pushed him, I punched him, I scratched him--with nails I just realized were _weak _in comparison to Seimegami's claws--, and I was even about to bite him, when Seimegami stopped me.

_That's the **last **thing you want to do in this situation!_

One thing, however, intrigued me when I hit him the hardest, in his shoulder. There seemed to be a kind of static electricity thing going on when my palm made contact. The skin on his shoulder burned him, apparently, and he yelped out in pain. I blinked, wondering what could have caused such a reaction. Kouga growled, much like Kenshi had when I'd screamed in his ear, and dug his claws into my shoulders. I cried out in pain and my heart rate increased, not for the first time today, when even Ias a _human_ could smell blood. Before I could think any further, Kouga spun me around, fisted his hands in my hair, and slammed my head onto the washing machine, effectively bending me over and exposing to him my behind. He pounded into me from behind and this time, I couldn't help but shriek in pain. Saltwater leaked from my eyes, joining blood that I saw on the machine. I was terrified out of my mind at the beast my former swain had become, and...I think I was passing out again. I didn't know what to do anymore. I later felt his breath on my neck, and everything clicked into place--he was a werewolf!

_(smacks forehead) No, dummy! He's going to mark you! The traditional youkai way to mate_ _entails biting_ _the chosen mate--in the upper body area! _

I groaned out loud, feeling a concussion coming on. I felt even sicker when Kouga licked my neck, growling raspily, "Once I make you mine, Kagome, you'll never fuck another male again. The bond of a mate is unbreakable." I wanted to cry out, "But I don't even _want _to be your stupid mate!" yet thought better of it. So I simply squeezed my eyes shut, body trembling with dread as I awaited the inevitable chomp to my jugular...

I heard my front door slam open and Kouga growled in obvious annoyance. His fangs vibrated on my neck as he did, and I thanked the Lord for the interruption. The wooden laundry room door was ripped to pieces, and my savior, none other than Inuyasha, stood in the doorway, in all his demonic glory. His now silver-blue hair whipped around him as a blue light shone around him. It was his crackling aura, his fury manifest in the way he glowed.

"Who dares interrupt my mate and I?!?!" Kouga snarled, turning around to bare his fangs at Inuyasha, who remained calm.

"Inuyasha..." I whispered.

_Seikami..._

Kouga cut a fierce eye onto me, mouth formed into a small O and brows wrinkled. Then he slanted his eyebrows at Inuyasha, knuckles cracking. I took this chance to turn around, maybe retain a semblance of the dignity so viciously usurped from me by Kouga.

"So _you're _the infamous Inuyasha. Heh. Never thought I'd have the chance to personally rip into you!" Kouga dashed in Inuyasha's direction, but he simply stepped to the side, avoiding Kouga. He silently made his way towards me, dichromatic orbs boring into my own relieved and still scared ones.

"You bleed." Simple words, but enough to melt my heart. "His hands, I presume?" I cast my gaze downward, ashamed.

"Yes..."

"Who is he?"

"..." I was almost too frightened to tell him, for fear of the possibility that he may _really _think he had no chance with me. But then, he deserved to know... "Kouga." I finally answered. "Inuyasha, I'm sorry; I tried to--"

"Hold on a moment, please." He left the room, facing Kouga, who was about to claw Inuyasha up. "Now is the winter of your discontent."

"Hah?" Kouga said dumbly, lowering his arms.

"You have damaged Kagome. I will not mince words with you, nor repeat myself when I say...I will kill you." Before Kouga could even growl a protest, Inuyasha brandished a greenly fluorescing index claw like a whip. "Dokkasou!" An emerald aura in the form of a scourge emerged from the claw, slashing across Kouga's chest. I was too enthralled by Inuyasha's ability to defend himself so expertly--with Seikami's aid, of course--to be pissed about the wolf blood spilling on my white carpet. Where, with a regular whip, there would normally be a handgrip utilized to maneuver it, Inuyasha's finger served as a makeshift as he mercilessly and smoothly guided his Dokkasou. Soon enough, Kouga was looking, at the risk of sounding redundant, _whipped_. _Horribly_. Inuyasha's final whip had him soaring at the door. He grunted as he slid down the door, blood trailing behind him. He was slumped against the door, slashes all over his skin. He was slowly returning back to normal, but losing blood quickly.

"Because it is Kagome's wish I do not kill you, you will remain alive--for the time being. However, if you once more attempt what you attempted today, you _will _die, whether or not Kagome wishes it. Now leave." Command dripped from the simple command, and despite his many lacerations, Kouga scrambled to his feet and hightailed it out my door, leaving blood in his wake. I stared wide-eyed at Inuyasha, who didn't look like he was transforming back to his hanyou form any time soon, and walked in my direction, gazing at me with cool yet concerned eyes. "Kagome."

"How...oh, _man_...you totally ripped into Kouga!" I gaped, then wired my jaw shut before I began to sound like a fangirl.

"Come. I will heal your wounds." I blinked. Heal my wounds? How in the hell...? "And then you will explain to me this situation." Ay-yi-yi...I _knew _I was gonna have some 'splainin' to do...


	12. Chapter 12

FNC: Oh, I love you people! Thank you all for so many reviews, and constructive criticism! A special thanks to my new favorite buddy, vampire ninja pirate princess--whose name, by the way, I am completely feeling--who reminded me to go with my instincts instead of faulty Internet translations. I had a gut _feeling _it was "Ay, Dios mio," but I checked it on the Internet; son-of-a-bitch said "mi Dios." (shrugs) Guess that's what I get for basic, huh? But without further ado...

* * *

It turned out that Inuyasha's definition of "healing my wounds" implicated his tongue and my body. I'd always heard how dogs'--or more specifically, inuyoukai or hanyous--saliva had therapeutic properties, but I'd never really got to find out firsthand. Being only one-fourth dressed while a inuhanyou turned youkai licked your wounds was not what I had in mind. It was, however, a welcome change in pace after just being fucking _raped_ by an erratic, unrestrained wolf demon.

When Inuyasha explained to me the lineaments of his saliva, I understood quite well that I would _heal_, but that was about it. I didn't know I'd do so in such a responsive manner. Once I was fully healthy again, I shyly asked, "Um...c-can I get some clothes now? Please?" He seemed amused.

"You do not have to ask my permission to do that, Kagome."

"Yeah, I know, but...it just slipped out. Heh...it was the whole foreboding mystique you gave off, that's all. 'Scuse me..." I gently pushed him out of my way and scampered to my room to get something on me. It took me about three minutes to find something comfortable and come back to him. I ended up in a pair of shorts and a body shirt. "C'mon, big guy, and sit on the couch with me. You said you wanted some explanations, right? Well, this is where they start!" I led him to the sofa and the both of us sat down. I sighed, hands clasped in my lap, and looked him dead in the eye. He'd been staring at me the whole time. I blushed. "...Y'know, you can ask questions _any time now_."

"First off, tell me why he was here."

"The complete, honest truth?" He nodded. Oh, hell. What was I so scared about? I'm sure he wouldn't trip over something like that anyway. "Well, see...he came over here to fuck me." Inuyasha's face remained dispassionate, but his eyes burned with a hate that I could never harbor in a million years. It slightly startled me, but I hid my fear, inadvertently hesitating to go on.

"Why are you hesitating? By all means, continue."

"Er...right. So, yeah, he did that, and I told him that I was breaking it off with him, and to leave because I'd had enough of non-consensual sex for _three _lifetimes, but he yelled out that it _wasn't _consensual because he "loved me" or whatever, and I told him "whatever" and walked back to the laundry room, but he came in there, huffing and puffing like--forgive the pun--the big, bad wolf, and, well, raped me." I took a deep breath, absently rubbing my shoulders where there had once been nasty claw marks and blood. "He really fucked up my shoulders."

"Hm. Why didn't you transform?" I shrugged.

"Too scared, Seimegami said. You know I would've and just made monkey meat outta him, but...fear can be a mighty bitch when it wants to." I looked at my hand, the right one, the same hand that had made that burning contact with Kouga's skin. "Something weird happened with my hand, though..."

"Hmm?" He cocked a finely arched eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I dunno...I slapped the hell out of his shoulder and it burned him or something. Really freaky. I didn't know what was going on..." Inuyasha stared at me analytically, to the point where I began to fidget under his gaze.

"Have you ever heard of...a miko?"

"What, a priestess? Are you suggesting that I may be a priestess? I have at least three different reasons why you're completely wrong."

"State them, then."

"Number one! There is a demon, a _sex goddess_, at that, residing within my body. Number two! My soul is more corrupted than Houjou's miasma. And number three? Well...I'm not religious." Inuyasha shrugged lightly.

"Maybe there is some good in you. You could've had me kill Kouga if you wanted to, but I could feel that you didn't."

"Yeah...that's true...even after he raped me...and it was the same with Danshi and Kenshi--the two youkai dudes that kidnapped me that time? They'd pretty much raped me in my unconsciousness; they'd made me pass out with some smelling salts--and when Houjou threatened to kill them, I told him not to."

"These Danshi and Kenshi people...are they, by chance, still alive?"

"Nah, I think they got killed by the flooding miasma. Why?"

"I would very much like to kill them again." I giggled.

"I probably wouldn't let you."

"Hm."

"And in addition, do you remember when you'd clutched my wrist in your anger at me? You could have very well intentionally killed me with the slightest pressure of your claw."

"I wouldn't've done that. I was just bluffing." I shrugged. "But I mean, come on. Other than that, my soul's done for. I'm going to all seven hells, consecutively." Inuyasha frowned sightly.

"Not necessarily so." I stared at him.

"Inuyasha, I've basically been a _whore _five years out of my life, okay? Debauching is one of the worst sins you can commit."

"Haven't you ever heard of repentance?" I looked at him strangely.

"Inuyasha, listen to me well. It would take six priests and a gallon of holy water to scrub at the dirt in my soul. Repentance? It's kinda hard to repent for all that whoring, y'know." Inuyasha's eye twitched slightly.

"Don't call yourself that." I wanted to bite back, "Why not? You did," but I knew that those four words could ruin any kind of relationship I could ever hope to have with Inuyasha, so I kept quiet. "The point is, you _can _be a miko. You may not be...exactly squeaky-clean, and I won't ask you to be, but it's possible."

"_How is it possible?_" I asked desperately, not because I really wanted to be a priestess, but because I was severely curious as to how someone with a soul so impure could be one.

"I don't know." I anime-sweatdropped. That's _all he had to say! _"But I do know that it--"

"Yeah, yeah...it's possible, we get it..." I sighed, rolling my eyes. "So this miko thing is just...totally up in the air, right? No definite take on whether I really do have spiritual powers?"

"You make it sound as if you would rather not be a miko."

"Eh...it doesn't sound like the most riveting thing there is to be...I'd much rather be a demon. That way, if I ever get into a fight with a demon or something, I can be equally matched with my opponent. Or something."

"What about with a human?"

"...Must you always make things so complicated?"

* * *

A few days afterward, Jakoutsu was still feeling homicidal towards Kouga. I'd told him what happened when he came back that day, and he instantly flew into a rage. It took a lot to calm him down. 

That was my best Alize, too...

Jakoutsu, Inuyasha, and I were at the grocery store. I deemed it safe to say that Inuyasha was pretty much living with me, too, as he more often than not stayed over at my house, during which time much flirting ensued, on both our parts. Jakoutsu basically kept to himself, joking that "he oughta get himself a man, so he wouldn't be a third wheel to Inuyasha and I."

Inuyasha, I found, was a very strange person, with even stranger tastes in foodstuffs. Whereas Jakoutsu and I had a passion for ice cream, Inuyasha's passion was...ramen. Maruchan, more specifically. As he piled different kinds of the noodles into our cart, I glared at him, stating, "I hope you're paying for these things."

"Relax!" he waved me off, heaping more ramen into the cart. "These things are, like, ten cents each. It's nothin'."

"I bet your sorry ass won't be saying that at the checkout line." He threw me a glare, tossing at least four more packs into the cart. I groaned.

"Inuyasha! We do not need all this damn ramen, boy!" Jakoutsu protested for me.

"Thank you, Jakoutsu!"

"Hey! This ain't _for _you! It's for me!"

"Then you must be eating it at your house, because you for damn sure ain't taking up space in my cupboard with this ramen crap." I harrumphed.

"Damn skippy! ...I'm going to get some more peach ice cream. Be right back, Gome-kins!" Jakoutsu grinned, walking off towards the freezer aisles. I pushed the cart a few feet or so before Inuyasha put his arms around my waist, lips planting butterfly kisses on my neck and gently licking the spot right below my earlobe. I shuddered. Damn bastard...he _knew _that was my spot!

"So I can't eat at your house?"

"...n...nngh..." I stammered, unable to form coherent words.

"I'll have to change your mind later, since you're apparently a bit tongue-tied at the moment." He smirked, smiling against my jugular. "Normally, I'd do it right now, pin you up against those shelves and do a couple things to you, but there are cameras and weird old people watching." I had to laugh, but it twisted into a shiver of coldness when he let me go. Wearing a tank top in a grocery store was not the smartest thing that I could ever do, I mused as I rubbing my arms. "Heh! And you called me dumb for bringing a jacket!" I tried to glare at him, but failed miserably. "Here, stupid." He draped his red blazer over my shoulders and I looked up at him. He was smiling lazily at me. I blushed, now warm with his body heat radiating from the jacket, and muttered out a thanks. "Eh, no problem. Just push the cart, would you?" I rolled my eyes, situated the jacket more comfortably, and rolled the cart along. I inhaled Inuyasha's scent, in an apparently obvious way, because he smirked audibly. "Smell good, Kagome?" I reddened again at being caught.

"What're you talking about?" I tried to play it off, but my blush gave me away.

"I'm talking about how you're sniffing up my jacket."

"...Keh..." I mumbled. He laughed.

"I'm rubbing off on you, Kagome, and in more ways than one. Let's go find your friend; he's probably gotten lost or something." I paused for a second before nodding. He placed his arm around my shoulder, provoking another blush from me. That goddamned discoloring shit was going to have to stop.

* * *

September, Monday the seventeenth, nineteen eighty-five; 3:29 AM. A baby girl is born. Her name? Kagome Tenkudaashi Higurashi. Yes, _my _birthday is coming up in one week! I had it circled in a pretty blue heart on every calendar in the house. Starting today, September Tuesday the tenth, two thousand-and-seven, I was on cloud nine, skipping around the house, humming and singing and just generally being happy. So happy, in fact, that when Inuyasha was cooking up about three packets of his ramen for himself, I skipped up and gave him a big smacker, right on the lips and in front of Jakoutsu, who was getting a spoon for his carton of ice cream. He grimaced playfully, while Inuyasha just looked around, wide-eyed and obviously surprised. 

"Um...Kagome? Are you okay?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure, I'm okay!" I giggled jauntily.

"You certain? Nothing strange going on with you?"

"Oh, no, nothing definitely is going on strange with me today, September Tuesday the tenth, the day which marks the second week in the month!" I beamed widely, standing right beside the kitchen calendar. Jakoutsu and Inuyasha stared at me, then at each other, then went back to what they were doing. I blinked. "I _said_..."

"We heard ya the first time. Second week of the month--noted." Inuyasha said, putting his noodles in a bowl and sitting at the table with Jakoutsu, who was chomping his ice cream happily. I glared at nothing in particular and walked out.

_You couldn't be more obvious about your birthday, Kagome._

That's what I was trying to do! But they didn't pay me any attention! That sucked! Not even Jakoutsu, who's known my birthday for...what, two years now?

_Hmm_.

No damn _hmm_! Bitch, acknowledge my birthday!

_Not with that tone, young lady..._

"Ugh...you sound like my mother..." I grumbled, going into my room to put on some outside clothes. Since Inuyasha and Jakoutsu began applying themselves to my life so often, my wardrobe had changed drastically. Of course, there was still a sexy outfit or nine in my closet, but for the most part, I now wore less slutty clothing, and more sneakers. You wouldn't believe how _cushiony _those things are! I slapped on a pair of YMI jeans and a red Faded Glory baby tee, with some red and black Reeboks, grabbed some money from my lingerie drawer, and headed out.

"Guys, I'm going! I'll see you later!" I called as I walked out the door.

"Uh-huh!" Jakoutsu muttered loudly.

"You better smell like Kagome when you get back here!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Yeah, yeah..." I rolled my eyes, and closed the door. I surveyed my surroundings. It was a moderately sunny day, good enough for walking. Not really like I had much of a choice anyway; I didn't have a car. Inuyasha and Jakoutsu wouldn't let me use theirs. Assholes.

I took to the sidewalk, deciding that I'd go to Three Drinks and a Dance, a sweet club-slash-bar a few blocks away. I felt like drowning my sorrows in a few cocktails. I was pissed that those two didn't remember my goddamned birthday!! When I walked into the bar, it was thankfully much darker and cooler than outside, especially when the door closed after me. Music was playing, people were dancing, and drinks were being served. Ignoring the strong urge to join those on the floor, I headed straight for the bar, sitting in a metallic blue spinning chair. I wasn't even tipsy yet, and I felt like spinning on it. I giggled. The bartender, who was about to ask another woman her order, spotted me and dashed right over, ignoring the woman who looked offended and ready to kill.

"Hel-_lo_ there, cutie!" he grinned, in a New Yorker's accent. I raised an eyebrow. See, that is exactly why I didn't dance on the goddamned floor--some dude would come up to me, flirting with me, and I'd have their scent on me, and Inuyasha would never trust me to go out again! Before he could say anything further, I cleared my throat and stated, "I'm taken, buddy."

"Eh. As beautiful as you are, I doubt any man'd be lucky enough to have _your _heart." I suppressed a grin.

"You don't know the half of it, buddy."

"Heh. So what would you like?"

"Um...a grasshopper, please."

"Comin' right up!" He went to fix my drink, and I swivelled idly in the chair, looking at the people dancing. A woman came and sat next to me, but I didn't pay much attention. As the bartender came back, the woman requested, "Gimlet, please." The bartender frowned at her, handing me my drink.

"Jeez, lady, have a little respect, huh? You don't see me givin' the young lady _her _drink?" The woman's brows creased menacingly and she growled, "I don't give a fuck _what _you're doing, you son-of-a-bitch. If I don't get my goddamned gimlet, I'm gonna shove the pretty end of a switchblade right up your dickhole, _got it_?" The barkeep's eyes widened and he gulped.

"Uh, l-like I said, I'll be right back with that gimlet, ma'am..." he stammered, almost tripping over his ankles to get her drink. I turned to her, an exalting grin on my face.

"Whoa! You told him!" I laughed. She smiled feebly at me.

"Sometimes, you just gotta let these men know the deal, you know?"

"I heard that." I chuckled, taking a few sips of my grasshopper. "Name's Kagome. What's yours?"

"Sango."

"Nice ta' meet you, Sango! Y'know, if there were more women like you and me, I think the world would be so much better of a place." Sango chuckled in reply.

"Very true. I'm sorry I'm in such a mood."

"Hah! You call that a mood? Girl, you should see me on a bad day. Complete lunatic." And basically, it was the truth. The barkeeper came back with Sango's drink, hand trembling slightly.

"Here ya go, miss...hope you enjoy..." he muttered, and went off to the far side of the bar. I stifled a snicker. Sango eyed the drink somewhat suspiciously.

"You think he poisoned it?" I inquired.

"I wouldn't put it past him."

"Ah, hold on..." I sniffed the drink a bit, letting some of the power of Seimegami's expert nose guide me, and nodded analytically.

"Is it?" Sango asked. I looked at her, a small smile on my face.

"Let's just say...if you were a roach, you'd be screwed to high heaven."

"Ew, roach spray?" She grimaced. "Fucking asshole."

"Worst thing about it, we didn't even see the tricky bastard do it!" I laughed. "You gotta admire the guy's guts, though."

"He's lucky those same guts ain't on my blade."

"...You really do have a switchblade?" I gaped, not really surprised. I just thought she was bluffing to get her drink, but it turned out that she was for real. I was sorely reminded of Jakoutsu and took another swig of my cocktail.

"Uh-huh. Hey, in the words of the great Lil' Kim: "Lunatics in the street--"

"Gotta keep the heat..." I chorused with her, laughing at the end. I think Jakoutsu would like her.

"But wait, a blade is a cold piece of steel." I grinned.

"...Huh. You sound just like my boyfriend." She began to growl again, apparently at the mention of him. "Asshole..."

"I take it that this explosive anger is directed at your boyfriend?"

"Yeah. His name is Miroku." The name rung a bell. I knew I'd heard it before...but where? "The motherfucker does nothing but gawp at other women, even when we're walking together. I swear...he _says _he loves me, but sometimes I just don't know. We even have a baby girl together, and he's still on his lecherous ways. I just...I just can't take any more of it, Kagome..." Sango sighed, entwining her fingers in her hair. I did feel sorry for her, but decided not to say anything, as I had a feeling that I might've been one of the women this Miroku guy gawps at. In addition to compassion, I felt that familiar twinge of envy. I sympathetically patted her hand.

"There, there, Sango. I'm sure Miroku does love you...he just has a twisted way of showing it. I guess. I don't know him, so I can't exactly pass judgement!" I grinned, rubbing the back of my neck modestly. "If you have a baby together, and he's still with you, he _must _love you, because he's apparently not a deadbeat. Um...I dunno what else I can say here, so...cheer up, why don't you? Isn't that why you're here--to drown your sorrows in some liquor?" She smiled at me.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey, why are you here?"

"(sigh) My best friend and the love of my life, both males who basically live in my house, apparently don't remember my birthday, which is next week." Now that I voiced them, my problems seemed very trivial compared to Sango's.

"Ohh...that sucks!" Sango commeriserated, patting my back as I slumped.

"Yeah! That's what I said! I mean...I practically _told them _my birthday was next week Tuesday, yet they pretty much ignored me! I feel so unloved." I moped.

"Jeez..goddamned males! Assholes, all of 'em! How old will you be?"

"Just turning 22."

"Oh, _man_...I remember when I "just turned 22," couple years ago."

"You're 24?"

"And proud of it. I had my little Kinamadare just last year, in October, on the 4th." Sango sighed fondly.

"_Golden raindrop_...oh, that's so beautiful!" I squeaked.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. She has her father's eyes...I call her Murasaki-chan because of them."

"Oh, wow...that's so exotic--purple eyes!" Sango grinned, obviously proud of Kinamadare. "Where is she?"

"With her uncle, Kouhaku, my brother. He's babysitting for me."

"How old is he?" I asked, downing the rest of my grasshopper.

"Around 16. He's a senior high graduate, and is currently lounging around the house doing nothing, "as a high-school graduate should do," he says." Sango rolled her eyes affectionately.

"Wow. You must have a great family."

"Yeah, we get along pretty well."

"I wish I could help you with the Miroku problem, but as it happens..." I trailed off, shrugging. Sango nodded.

"Well, I think I've had quite enough of brooding over roach-sprayed liquor for one lifetime...I'll see you around, Kagome."

"Sure, Sango." She got up and left. I remained stuck to my seat, mind still on Kinamadare. I could just imagine her, strangely enough, quite clearly in mind. I was stricken by sadness and a sudden loneliness. And then I realized something.

I wanted a family.


	13. Chapter 13

I walked back home in a dejected slump. True, I was really looking forward to seeing Sango again, since she seemed like the type of person that I could communicate with, but the understanding that she had what I didn't really saddened me. Now I knew what I was so jealous about when I saw Seimegami and Seikami together; I wanted an actual _relationship _with someone, and that someone just happened to be Inuyasha. I couldn't fully comprehend the fact that I was pining for a child and a man so badly to the point of depression.

I slouched into an empty condo and dragged myself onto my bed, where I laid there in contemplation. It was quiet, the deafening silence raking on my nerves. Now that Jakoutsu and Inuyasha were with me, I'd forgotten what it was like to live alone. As it happens, it's _sucky_. It really, really is. There was absolutely nobody around this place, no sounds, no anything. Now I understood the difference between alone and lonely. _ME._

My stomach seemed to ache a little when I realized that I missed my two guys. I wondered where they were, and wished they were back here, just the three of us again. I wished I were more sociable toward other females, and maybe I could have some friends. Sango seemed nice; she could develop into a good friend. It was amazing who you met in a bar. It really was.

All I wanted to do was escape the silence. So I did the only thing I could without getting into trouble with either Jakoutsu or Inuyasha--I went to sleep. As I did, I had the strangest dream. I dreamt that I was completely by myself, surrounded by hundred of beautiful little babies, but unable to hold any of them. I grabbed at them all frantically, and was horrified when I accidentally killed one with my claws, which I didn't even know I had at the time. All of the other babies started crying, the sound piercing my sensitive canid ears. I clamped my hands over them, and all sound disappeared. I stared at the babies, whose mouths were open and tears fell freely from their eyes, but I couldn't hear them. I released my ears and _still _didn't hear them. I began to worry, especially when their faces began to turn red from the crying, and picked one up, ecstatic that I finally could. But my claws slashed straight through him, as if he were made of melted butter. I fell to the ground, disgusted, horror-struck with myself, and gaped at my bloody claws. Then Inuyasha's formerly gashed cheek from all those weeks ago came to mind, and my head began to hurt, and...I woke up in a cold sweat, but was soon warmed by Inuyasha's arms around my body.

"Kagome..." he murmured, obviously thinking I was still asleep. I turned to face him, face tear-streaked, and grasped him as hard as I could, as if he'd just disappear from my life. I cried loosely, staining his shirt, but neither of us cared much. "Kagome? What's wrong?"

"I-nu-ya-sha!!" I sobbed intermittently. This one cry must've been a lifetime of tears rolling out of me. "Please...don't ever leave me, okay?"

"Of course I won't..." He licked away the tears leaking from my eyes, kissing my eyelids. I stared into his succinic orbs with my own puffy red ones. He drew my face closer to his, completely silent. The same eyelids he'd previously kissed at drooped lazily as our lips met in a gentle collision. I was more than content with Inuyasha being my first--SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!!!--kiss, especially when I didn't really know how. It seemed to come naturally, though, and just as I got the hang of it, I could feel Inuyasha smile against my lips. Soon, however, the kiss had to end, and we broke apart, gazing at each other with rather cloudy eyes. "...because I love you, Kagome." I gasped softly, though I'd already known it anyway, but it just came as a shock to me for some reason to hear him say it like that. The words I'd dreamt of hearing what felt like all my life, finally voiced to me by the man I'd dreamt of hearing them from.

"Inu...yasha...I...I love you, too..." I sniffled, more tears overflowing from my eyes, but now they were of happiness. It was a bit ironic, though; I was certain I'd be the first to say it...but it didn't matter. Hell, it was all the better that he said it first!

_Aw...ain't it romantic?_

Aw, shut your maw, bitch.

_You better be lucky I really am a bitch, or I'd claw your soul out._

Hm.

_You two remind me of Seikami and myself back in those days. (sigh) We were so cute..._

I'm...sure the god and goddess of sex were cuter than cute...

_Was that sarcasm?_

...No.

* * *

"It turned out," I grinned to Sango over a cup of amazake in Jun's, a local cafe, "that they hadn't forgotten my birthday! The sly bastards!" 

"Wow, really?" Sango laughed. It was the day right after my birthday, and I was, to put it simply, flossin' like Mike...Jones, that is.

"Yeah! They were just pretending to! Those fools had me all a-slump for nothing!"

"What happened?" I took another calm sip of my amazake, eyes closed and a smirk on my lips.

"Well..."

_After our little heartfelt confession, I asked Inuyasha where he'd been. He grinned._

_"Wouldn't you like to know?" he replied._

_"Yes, actually, I would!" I whined. "If you don't tell me...I'm gonna c-c-cry again..." I added a few sniffles to let him know I meant business. He merely laughed and mussed up my hair, leaving me looking disgruntled. "Jeez..."_

_"All I'm gonna tell you--and Jakoutsu doesn't even want you to know this much, but since I love you...neither of us forgot." I blinked. How vague._

_"Forgot what? I'm confused." Inuyasha shook his head and left. "HEY! Didn't forget what?!" But he was long gone. It took me twenty whole seconds of sitting there in stupefaction to realize that he meant my birthday. I smacked myself in the forehead. God, I was such an idiot... So if they didn't forget...that meant that they must've been getting me something! Hehe...I rubbed my hands together evilly, a defiant smirk on my face. I think it was time for some sleuthing, Higurashi-style..._

Sango had to stifle her laughter, so as not to attract too much attention from the others. "Are you _serious_?! The Higurashis actually have a _sleuthing style_?"

"Well, no, not really--the style begins at me." I grinned sheepishly.

_I crept down the stairs to see Inuyasha and Jakoutsu murmuring low in the kitchen over a huge bag of something that I just knew had to be my present. I snuck up behind them, Seimegami helping to conceal my aura, and whispered, "What's in the bag?" Both jumped and turned to face me, guilty looks on their faces._

_"Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Kagome?" Jakoutsu narrowed his eyes._

_"I'm asking, what's in the bag?" I repeated._

_"Nothing, that's what. Now go watch tv or something. Jeez."_

_"I'm not going anywhere until I see what's in the bag!" I harrumphed stubbornly. The men anime-sweatdropped, and Jakoutsu glared at Inuyasha._

_"You ass! You told her, didn't you?!"_

_"What--okay, yeah, I told her! I mean, she was crying, dude!"_

_"Ha!" I grinned. Jakoutsu sighed._

_"Well, I didn't wanna tell you, so I could surprise you...we bought you..."_

_"Yeah, yeah?!" I urged heavily, eager to see what was in the bag._

_"A box of laundry detergent!" the two announced. I did a complete face-fault. My shoulders, once hackled in anticipation, slackened._

_"Um...huh?"_

_"Yeah! You were all out, and you've been bitching about it all week for us to buy some!" Jakoutsu scoffed._

_"Told you we didn't forget." Inuyasha shook his head. I stared at them._

"Kagome, I think we need to get the hell outta here...I'm about to have a laughing fit..." Sango snickered.

"Yeah...so _maybe _it wasn't my birthday they'd remembered." I sighed, the both of us walking out. We sat on the bench outside, where Sango promptly released her pent-up laughter quite abruptly. I playfully glared at her and continued.

_"...So...you...laundry...oh."_

_"Hell, if you don't want it...I mean, we spent damn near four dollars for this shit!" Jakoutsu groused. I slowly nodded my head._

_"Right. Okay, then. Um...I think I'm gonna go sit down for a little..." I mechanically did an about face and walked right back out._

_"What did you think we meant, Kagome?" Inuyasha called. I ignored him. "Huh. Wonder what's her problem." Jakoutsu sighed._

_"Must be a female thing."_

_"Agreed."_

"Oh, really, now! That's so stereotypical!" Sango protested, in response to Jakoutsu's comment. "Trust a _dude_, even if they are gay." I shook my head, chuckling.

"Very true. A female thing. Jakoutsu's always saying shit like that. I told you, he doesn't much like women."

"Must've had a traumatized childhood."

"Or maybe it was growing up with six other brothers."

"Maybe." Sango agreed.

_There weren't any more incidents like the laundry detergent going on for the rest of that week, and I was certain they'd really forgotten. I was so depressed, I didn't even rise up to Inuyasha's flirting. So, on Sunday, two days before my birthday, after I'd once again all but ignore Inuyasha, he sat down beside me on the couch and asked me, "Okay, I'll bite." He nipped me on my neck, making me giggle. He grinned. "And now I'll ask you--what's wrong? You haven't been yourself lately." Something in me yearned to remind him that it was my birthday, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it._

_"Nothing...like Jakoutsu said, it's a female thing."_

_"What, you on your period or something?" he said bluntly. I anime-sweatdropped._

_"Um...yeah." He took two light sniffs and frowned._

_"But I don't smell any blood on you. Are you lying to me, Kagome?"_

_"Uhh..." Before I could stall any further, Jakoutsu called, "HEY! Inuyasha, get your hanyou butt in here! Me and you gotta talk!"_

_"Gah...sorry, Kagome--I'll be right back." He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek--really, what the hell was that?--and dashed off to Jakoutsu. I shook my head, sighing._

"Jeez, he's running off to gay guys now? You'd better watch him..." Sango teased.

"Hah!"

_Finally came Tuesday. The sky decided to piss on my birthday when nobody was in the house. Jakoutsu and Inuyasha had left just before it began to rain, leaving me all by my lonesome on my birthday. What I did find strange, though, was how Inuyasha kissed me right before he left. He looked into my eyes and whispered that he loved me, no matter what._

"Um...the sky pissed on your birthday?" Sango said dryly.

"Yeah! Blue piss! ...Or maybe clear piss? Eh, I dunno." Sango chuckled.

_So anyway...right, it was raining, and that meant that the sky would darken. What I wasn't expecting was thunder and lightning, both of which I was scared to death of. Since the demon inhabiting my body was in fact a dog demon, I had to quell the powerful urge to hide under my bed--though Lord knows it would be easy enough. I was just watching tv, the living room lights on. Despite the fact that I hated having lights on unnecessarily, I hated thunder and lightning more, and the sky was steadily darkening. I hated the dark, too, and figured that the only way to fight off the dark was with light, no matter how artificial. Like a dumbass, I happened to be watching a Lifetime movie--Strangers in the Night, I think it was--and then the power flickered. I screamed, it being more of a squeak of terror. For a brief moment, I think I saw the pits of Hell..._

"I thought you were supposed to see the light?"

"Number one: HOW THE HELL CAN YOU SEE THE LIGHT WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT _OFF_?!" Sango giggled. "And number two--I already know I'm headin' for hell, so yeah. Fire, brimstone, that shit."

"But Kagome, it wasn't like you were actually a whore or nothing." she argued. I'd told her the whole nymphomaniac deal, including Seimegami's role, and how Inuyasha, in his demonic form, figured I coulda been a miko or something. "You couldn't help what you were doing. And Inuyasha said that there was some good in your heart, so what's the deal?"

"I appreciate your attempts to convince me otherwise, but the fact of the matter is, I'm going to hell in the end, so it's whatever." Sango looked like she was about to say something else, then shook her head and told me to continue.

_Right, so, pits of hell, blah, blah, blah...yeah. The lights came back on for all of three seconds before going off completely. I waited for everything to come back on, but they stayed off. The only illumination in the empty, dark house was that of the moon--which wasn't even on my fucking side of the house, the traitorous bitch!--and the flashing lightning. I rose to my feet, limbs trembling uncontrollably and heart palpitating, and groped around blindly to get to the kitchen. Maybe there were some candles in there? Then I stopped myself, cursing, knowing damn well that I didn't possess any candles. I couldn't even see! I wanted desperately to transform, but like when I was getting raped for the third time in my life--_

"Sarcasm noted, Kagome!" Sango drawled loudly.

"Heh. Just makin' sure you got it."

_--I was too scared to do so. Damned fear. It had to have been about ten, when there came a knock at my door. I dejectedly slumped to it, and bumped into it. I growled, frustrated, and stepped back. I opened the door, a forlorn and weary look on my face._

_"Yes?" I sighed, taking a good look at the figure in my doorway. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that it was Inuyasha! All soaking wet, flowers held out in his hand. He grinned at me._

_"Happy birthday, Kagome." I gaped at him, my heart melting like an M&M in the heat. My eyes began to water, and my hands shook. I tackled him to the wet grass, not caring about anything but him. He laughed, the flowers dropping to the ground. "You thought we forgot, did you? Shame, shame on you, Kagome..." I lowered my head onto his chest and cried tears of happiness, those teardrops indiscrete from the raindrops._

"What happened next?" Sango asked, as if I were telling an enthralling story. I sat back smugly on the bench and smirked at her.

"You really wanna know?" She nodded. "...We made love." She gaped.

"Get the hell outta here." She gasped.

"No lie. Right there on the lawn, in the rain. It was the most romantic thing I could ever imagine. I'll, uh, spare you the details, but I will say this..." I lowered my collar to reveal a bite mark on my neck. Sango stared at it, awed. " 'Gome's got a brand-new mate--_and _guess who's preggers?" Sango squealed, embracing me.

"Oh, Kagome, I'm so happy for you!" she shrieked. I chuckled, hugging her back. "I think it's just so beautiful how you ended up with the guy of your dreams."

"Yeah...yeah, like something out of a real fairytale, huh?" I grinned, releasing her. She looked at her watch. "What time is it?"

"Looks like 12:49. Kouhaku told me he had to leave at one. Would you like to come and see Kinamadare?" My eyes widened in childlike awe.

"Really? I can see her?"

"Sure." She smiled. "In fact, if you want, you can even babysit her for a while. I've got a few places to go, and her father's gone, too."

"Sango, have I ever told you I loved you?" She laughed.

* * *

Kinamadare turned out to be even more beautiful than I'd expected. After Sango introduced me to Kouhaku, she handed Kinamadare to me to hold. Unlike in my dream, she didn't cry or anything drastic like that. In fact, she remained asleep, even snuggling in my arms. I couldn't keep my eyes off her. She was a picture of resplendence. 

"Here's her bag, and her carrier...um...Kouhaku, am I forgetting anything?"

"Her father." Kouhaku scoffed under his breath, but Sango apparently didn't hear.

"Okay, then. Do you want me to drive you to your house?"

"No...I'll be fine walking." I smiled absently, borrowing Seimegami's strength to carry Kinamadare's things. We all went outside.

"Alright...um...I'll see you guys at around five, okay?" Sango gave her brother and I hugs before leaving, Kouhaku hopping aboard a skateboard leaning against the house and skating off. I began the trek to my condo, making sure that Kinamadare was comfortable. Somehow, she made me feel more like an adult, yet filled with childish giddiness. I barely knew her, but I would guard this child with my life. I couldn't wait to show her to Inuyasha...

* * *

Inuyasha's reaction was exactly how I expected it to be--mouth agape, eyes the size of saucers. I put Kinamadare in her carrier on the couch between Inuyasha and I, stroking her face lovingly. 

"Isn't she pretty, Inuyasha?"

"Um...yeah...but...whose is she?"

"You remember my friend, Sango, I told you about?" He nodded slowly, apparently still not able to comprehend the presence of a girl-child in our home. "It's hers and some guy, Miroku." Inuyasha thought for a minute, then said, "OHHH! So _this _is Miroku's kid!" I blinked.

"You know him?"

"Yeah! I thought Sango sounded familiar! Damn! I haven't seen Kinamadare since she was born!" Now I felt a bit out of the loop.

"How do you know Miroku?"

"You've met him before--remember when we were at the laundromat that time you tried to hit on me?"

"I'd rather not."

"The guy who I was waiting on--that was Miroku. The perverted dude?" Something clicked in my brain and suddenly I felt very retarded.

"...Oh, yeah, I remember him now...but from what Sango tells me, he's a real asshole. He's always ogling other women, even when he and Sango are out."

"Well, I ain't seen the guy in a minute, but I'll keep in mind to knock him a good few next time I do." I rolled my eyes.

"Where's Jakoutsu?"

"Out hitting up part two of your birthday gift." He smirked, taking Kinamadare out of the carrier and holding her. I stared at him, looking so natural in such a fatherly role, then shook my head.

"Part two?"

"Yes, part _two_. There're three parts. Now, the first part was courtesy of myself." He chuckled. I rolled my eyes again.

"Yeah, I'd hate to have to get that part from Jakoutsu." This time, he laughed. I gazed lovingly at him cuddling the child.

"One day..." He then clamped a hand to his mouth. I looked at him curiously.

"Huh?"

"Um...nothing..." I gave him a deadpan look and he sighed. "I was saying...one day...Kagome, I want you to have my pups." My eyes widened and glistened. I seemed to be crying quite excessively these days...

"You...really? Ohh...!" I sniffled, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. "Inuyasha, I would...I would be honored to have your pups..."

_Well, that shouldn't be too hard. He's knocked you up anyway._

I glared internally at her. Hell, good! I'm _glad _I'm pregnant! ...Hehehe. That's actually funny. When somebody asks me what I got for my birthday, I can say, "Knocked up." I began to giggle out loud, startling Inuyasha.

"Um...Kagome? Are you okay?" I nodded, biting my lips to stifle full-blown laughter. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing...something Seimegami said..."

"I'm sure anything a sex goddess says _must _be funny." Inuyasha said sarcastically.

_Hey. Hey, fuck you, buddy._

Isn't that how I got knocked up? I couldn't take it anymore. I bolted out of the room and burst out laughing. I saw Inuyasha put Kinamadare in her carrier and come into my room.

"Seriously, Kagome, you're beginning to scare me." He said, sitting on the bed with me. I stifled my face with a pillow, but the laughter still came through.

"No...okay..." I cried finally, the pillow soaked with my tears of mirth. "Um...see, this is the thing...After I told you I'd be honored to have your pups, right, Seimegami said, "That shouldn't be too hard; you're already up anyway." So then I began to think--When somebody asks me what I got for my birthday...I can say..I can-I can say "knocked up!" HAHAHAHA!" I hit the bed again, laughter overtaking me. Inuyasha stared at me.

"Wait, you're already pregnant?! And...and wait, you're _laughing_?" As I settled down a bit and sat back up beside him, putting my head on his shoulder.

"Hey, what's life if you can't laugh on it?" I sighed, smiling. He paused before chuckling himself and wrapping his arms around my frame. I couldn't believe my immense luck. I would finally have the family I so longed for.

* * *

FNC: I know most of you are probably pissed that I didn't include the lemon, but think: She was telling the story to Sango. Who wants to hear their friend talk in explicit detail about sex they had in the rain? Well, so you all won't be angry at me, I'll put the lemon in. Okay, happy?

* * *

This continues after I tackled Inuyasha to the ground... 

As I lay on top of my favorite hanyou, rain chilling me to the bone, I murmured, "You know I love you, don't you?"

"Of course," he replied, "as long as you know that _I _love _you_." I reveled in these words.

"Then...let's make love." He looked at me seriously, aureate orbs buzzing with the unspoken question. I looked back at him, smiling. "I'm sure." Straight lips curved to meet my beam. I shifted so that I was eye to eye with him. I lowered my lips onto his, initiating a passionate kiss that set my soul aflame. I let my tongue probe his mouth shyly, not completely sure that what I was doing was the right way to go about it. As if in knowing reassurance, his own pink organ caressed mine. Deciding to go a little further, I sucked upon his bottom lip, nibbling it playfully. He elicited a small groan, hands running up my shirt and gently lifting it above my head. The rain intensified, forked lightning illumining our bodies.

Inuyasha kicked off his sneakers, as I actually ripped off his shirt with my claws. I didn't even pause to dwell on how I'd transformed already, for I could see Inuyasha's form altering, too. I smiled. If this was how it was to be, then so shall it be. I wiggled out of my pajama bottoms, kissing and licking at his rained-upon pectus. He gracefully and swiftly slid out of his jeans, demonic erection threatening to tear out his underwear. Obviously fighting his more primal desires, Inuyasha remained collected, undoing the clasp of my bra and flinging it to the ground. He then went about worming his hands into my panties, gliding them down my wet legs and tossing them aside. I tore away his boxers, careful of the bulging extremity inside, and marveled at the nude body I'd been deprived of for so long. My stargazing was cut short by the sound of low growling from Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha?" I asked quietly. He forced himself to stop and gritted out, "I...I am sorry, Kagome...it is customary for the male to take the dominant position in mating...this demon feels emasculated by _you _in this position..."

"Oh...of course, I'm sorry." In a flash quicker than the overhead thunderbolt, Inuyasha was atop my body, eyes glowing carnally. My breasts heaved in excitement, the cold rain hardening my nipples. He inclined his mouth onto the mounds of flesh, suckling them together until I felt them get raw and red. From the depression between my breasts, Inuyasha's tongue trailed down to my hot crevice. I once more experienced that wonderful sensation of my hemispherical excrescence being so delightfully licked at. My legs inadvertently opened further, allowing him better access, and my hands meandered within his thunder-lit mane to push him more onto me. I delivered a concupiscent moan as my bodily secretions poured forth. The same rosy appendage that caused those secretions lapped at them, skillfully dunking into my abyss. I could feel my climax coming on, strongly, and it did so accompanied by an loudly extensive mewl of my lover's name. I sensed his immense pleasure at this, and found that it was contagious, for my own arousal heightened even after my orgasm.

"Now, Kagome...I can't take this anymore, I have to have you _now_..." he panted, his voice thick with a lust intermingled with love.

"Yes, Inuyasha...my mate, my lover, take me..." I gasped, the aftereffects of my sexual meridian entailing my body trembling uncontrollably. Inuyasha's bullocky frame loomed over my own, chain lightning shadowing his facial features with a ferine visage that appealed to my own animalistic passions. His veined rod hovered over my clitoral region, its hot blooded heat radiating onto the rosaceous nervus.

With the utmost of vexatious deliberation, he guided himself into me as carefully as if he were working on a ship in a bottle. I snarled at him, the verbalization followed by a clap of thunder. He merely smirked.

"My bitch has the ability to command thunder." He teased proudly.

"Would you speed it up?!" I hissed, claws stabbing through the earth beneath me. "You weren't _this _damned careful when you took my virginity!" I didn't mean it in an accusatory way, but he apparently took it like that because he lowered his face to mine, kissing me softly.

"I know. And I'm sorry for that. But I'm going to make up for it, right here, right now." Without another word, he swiftly sheathed his cock inside of me, pushing my shoulders in a downward motion as firmly as he could to stretch me to my limits. Sweat commingled with the rain showering my forehead. I bared my neck submissively, whereupon Inuyasha tongued my external larynx gently, nibbling at the sides of my cervix. When Inuyasha withdrew his dick, I whimpered, instantaneously longing for his warmth again. Understanding my infrasonic canid plea, he plunged into and out of me once more, developing a steady rhythm. I rocked my hips against his, imagining that I was dancing to the very same song. I only wished the pace was the same, too...

"Faster...harder, please, Inuyasha..." My mate willingly obliged to my request, the sensation so idyllic that I forced my legs open to the point where my knees scraped at the ground with each of his thrusts. I resorted to pushing his mesomorphic buttocks forward. An amused chuckle escaped his lips.

"You want it that badly, do you?" he said, voice rising and falling sporadically. A spasmodic moan was his reply. "Then you'll really like this..." Just before my apex could gush from me, I was flipped onto my stomach and, before I could think, rammed into from behind. I desperately clawed at the ground, the only outlet for the astronomical pleasure I was experiencing. It never crossed my mind how Inuyasha growled so possessively, covetously muttering, "Mine..." over and over again—at least not until we met each other's vertexes, and, drowning out my own snarl he howled, "_**MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_" I didn't question it, but Seimegami informed me that he hadn't declared me his with such appetency till he'd sodomized me, because Kouga had done the same thing, before and when he raped me. I hadn't known that he was still hung up on that...! So it was his jealousy and contempt for Kouga that had him doing that...

The hair that curtained around his head was violently flipped back, the rain temporarily gluing it to his dorsum. I timidly rolled onto my own back, puffing breaths of enervation. He faced me with a much gentler gaze than he'd previously held and kissed the raindrops away from my sweaty forehead.

"Are you mine, Kagome?"

"Yes..." I panted lightly, managing a smile. "Of course...I love you, Inuyasha..."

"Please...promise me you'll never leave me. Please." The raw emotion in his voice startled me, and I was even more so to see his eyeballs vein red. Saltwater dripped from them onto my chest, an indication that he was actually crying.

"'Course not. Don't be stupid." I smiled, using one of his favorite phrases as I felt my own eyes welling up slightly. He smiled back, tightly embracing me.

"Kagome, I want to mark you. Is that okay?" he swallowed shakily.

"Yes." I nodded, readying myself for the bite to my neck. Licking his lips nervously, he dipped his mouth right above my neck, so that his warm breath mingled with the cool rain to create a strange sensation that wasn't altogether unpleasant. "Just...do it quickly, to get the pain over with, okay?" He obviously had no qualms with that, because after I said that, he went in for the plunge—and plunge he did: his fangs right into me, that is. I bit back a perspicuous cry. Getting bit by dogs _hurts_ like _hell_, even when you're another dog. I fought the urge to snap my own fangs back at him, as was my first instinct. Blood oozed down my cervix and Inuyasha rapidly lapped it up, sucking the rest of the blood from the wound. I took a deep breath. Be strong, Kagome...

When he kissed the mark he made, I assumed it was all over.

I found out that I more often than not make false assumptions.

He seemed a little less nervous when we made eye contact again. "There's...one more thing we need to do to complete the mating ritual."

"Uh...huh...?" I motioned for him to continue.

"Um...I-I don't know how to tell you this...it might be a little...well, _unappealing _to your humanness." I blinked dully.

"D'you think you could elaborate?"

_Oh, for Kami's sake—you have to bite him back!_

A blush rapidly spread across my face. I had a feeling that the other part of the ritual entailed something along those lines...

"Oh, never mind...the ever helpful Seimegami told me."

"That's not all." He said bluntly. "Since Seimegami told you _that_, then she can just tell you the conditions to your part."

_Ye-ah. Right. Um, see, you_ _have to bite him as deeply as possible right on the shoulder, and let the blood trickle onto his back, whereupon you will slash him __**across **__the back, in a strictly diagonal fashion, so that the fang blood will intermingle with the claw blood_. _If you truly love him, the slash wound will heal itself. But if not, then he'll bleed to death. The female's role in mating is crucial to the male's life, really._

I bit my lip, horrified at the extent to which inuyoukai went in mating. Hell, to be honest, I just thought it was the love-making! I didn't even know about the biting until Kouga raped me, and now _this_? Goddamn...!

"So...what?" Inuyasha said gruffly, breaking me from my reverie. He was obviously expecting a response.

"Oh!" I chuckled nervously, pinking a bit. "Um...Inuyasha, I'm-I'm not sure...I don't want to hurt you..."

"Well, damn, Kagome, don't you love me?"

"Yes, no _duh_, but—"

"But nothing!" he cut me off, startling me with the fervor in his tone. "If you really do love me, then I won't _be _hurt!" I glared at him.

"Fine! Well, then, you _asked _for it, buddy!" I switched our positions in a heartbeat, slamming him onto his stomach so that I now straddled the same muscled posterior I'd gripped antecedently. I couldn't help but admire it for a few seconds before sinking my fangs right into his shoulder. He gasped, a mix of pleasure and pain, then growled. I smirked perceptibly. "So we're a masochist now, are we?"

"Or maybe I just love it when my bitch shows her love." He grinned.

"Well, let's see how much you love me when I do this..." I at first gently brushed my claw tips across his back, making him shiver. Goosebumps followed in the wake of my claws. I then raked those same talons across his back, just as the blood from his shoulder ran slowly upon his dorsum. Amazingly enough, the rain didn't even affect the blood; there seemed to be a barrier around Inuyasha's body. I sensed it, somewhat, and figured that the detection was my "miko powers" at work. Cue rolling of eyes. Inuyasha released a hiss, and I wanted so desperately to lick the blood away, but I knew that my love for him would heal the wounds.

"Ah...damn, koishii..." he grumbled.

"You asked for it..." I shrugged sheepishly, watching in morbid fascination as the blood commingled and swirled in a crimson vortex. "Whoa...do you even _feel _that?"

"Feel what?" I anime-sweatdropped.

_Does that answer your question?_

Oh, shut up, Seimegami...

In an almost blinding red light that I assumed broke the barrier—I no longer detected it—the blood, to put it simply, _disappeared_. There was no sign at all that I'd even gashed his back; that is, unless you count the four swollen red marks. I had a feeling that they wouldn't be clearing any time soon. Also, four rhomboidal red dots which served as Inuyasha's mate mark stood out proudly upon his shoulder. I swung my bent leg off of him, kneeling in the wet grass and twiddling my thumbs awkwardly.

"By the lack of weight on my back..." Inuyasha grunted as he got to his own knees and winced. The scars moved with him and I felt for him. "...I'll assume that it's over."

"Yes." I sighed shortly. "It's all over. You're mine and I'm yours, and we have the proof to show it." I offered him a small smile of penitence. "I'm sorry. Do you want me to lick it better?"

"As much as I'd enjoy your tongue running all over me, thanks but no thanks. It has to heal on its own." I was silent for a few moments, then repeated, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He shook his head, smiling back at me. "I hear the more intense the pain—yeeeoooow...the more the love. Guess you really do love me."

"I didn't mean to do it so hard, though..." I muttered, lowering my head, which clawed fingers gently lifted in a situation evocative to that between Tobushikai and I. He even kissed me, but this one was much longer, much more affectionate, and _much, much _more enjoyable.

"Like I said, don't worry about it...mate. I love you, we're demonically married, and nothing will ever tear us apart again." Ironically, the rain began to calm just as I felt my eyes watering uncontrollably.

* * *

FNC: Aw...but then, Inu might not be all that right...I mean, what's a good angst-slash-drama-slash-romance-slash-humor fic without a little more angst-slash-drama? Oh, trust me, there will be more to come. _SOOOOOO _much more! You thought Houjou's appearance was a twist; you ain't seen diddly-squat yet! Review, please! 


	14. Chapter 14

FNC: This chapter, despite its extremely short nature, is dedicated to one of the most important people in my life thus far, Clouds In The Sky, affectionately termed by me as "Kumo-chan." Of course, I pretty much have no life, so...yeah. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Jakoutsu's reaction to Kinamadare was everything I expected. Since he wasn't a demon, he couldn't detect whether she was ours or not, and he just...went berserk.

"WHAT IN THE FUCK??!?!?" he gaped, head probably reeling. "Who—whose baby is that?! I know it's not y'all's, 'cause...well, hell, Inuyasha hasn't even been here a full nine months, so...but what if Seimegami took over Kagome's body?! That would mean that she could have her kid in, like..._four _months! Aah!" Inuyasha and I looked at each other, then back at our clueless friend.

"Jakoutsu..." I began, but he was now in his own world of pandemonium.

"And I was so _ignorant_! I should've known something was going on!" he wailed. "They were fucking behind my back!" We anime-sweatdropped.

"Jakoutsu!"

"Oh, _why_, why must it always be the young ones?!"

"You're only twenty-four..."

"Wow, really? I didn't know that." Inuyasha commented. I threw him a glare and he shrugged, grinning sheepishly.

"Jakoutsu, you idiot, nobody's had a baby—yet, anyways. I am, however, due." I smiled, motioning to rub my belly. I grimaced slightly when I felt pudge I never possessed.

Jakoutsu blew a sigh and grinned at us. "You idiots. Worrying me like that. Whew! I'm going to get some Rocky Road." As he walked in the kitchen, I called after him, "Hey, Ja-chan, get me a carton, too! Ooh, ooh, and some pickles, too! ...Dipped in hot sauce! And add some lemon juice to it, wouldja?" Both males stared at me.

"Oy...this pregnancy is gonna take a toll on both of our stomachs..." Inuyasha gurgled, clasping his belly. "Since when you do eat shit like that?"

"Since I got pregnant."

"Well, you've obviously never been pregnant before, 'cause you don't like pickles, hot sauce breaks you out in hives, and lemon juice is too sour for you." Jakoutsu cleared his throat. I pouted.

"Ah, well. It sounded nasty anyway. But I am hungry."

"Then I'll make you something _edible_. How about a nice sundae?"

"Sure. Can you put some—"

"And nothing abnormal that you'd find in a French restaurant, _please_?" Jakoutsu smirked. I laughed.

"I was going to say sprinkle some Dom on it."

"Oh, now _that _I can do! Heh! Be back in a jiff." While Jakoutsu was in the kitchen, I turned to Kinamadare, who was currently sleeping, and lightly tickled her cheek.

"Ohh..." I sighed happily. "Soon, around January or something, I'll be having a little girl or boy with—hopefully—cute dog ears like his or her father." My proud smile slowly dissipated into a frown.

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha murmured, concern radiating in his eyes as he looked at me.

"Oh...nothing. It's just...this _fatness_. I mean, I know it's the former me talking, the whore me, but I can't help but feel disgusted at the damn fatness." My mate glared at me, but before he could go off on me, Jakoutsu came in with the sundae. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at me, a look that clearly stated, "We'll talk about this later."

* * *

And talk about it later we did. Once Sango came over to get Kinamadare and Jakoutsu went off to god-knows-where, Inuyasha and I were left alone in the house, and I without any distractions or diversions to avoid this talk. Of course, normally, I'd be trying to watch tv or something, but Inuyasha told me he'd located some kind of "circuit breaker box" or something and flipped a few switches that cut certain things off. I dunno how that shit works, but if I ever find it, I'll destroy it to death. There Inuyasha and I sat on the couch; me with my eyes cast downward, glowering at my stomach, and Inuyasha with his eyes cast sideward, glowering at me. Damn you, unborn fetus Tsutsuji/Aoitsuki! Well, that's what I'd name a girl or boy, respectively. It's just that I haven't told Inuyasha yet. Tsutsuji, for you who don't speak Japanese, means azalea, and Aoitsuki is blue moon. Isn't it pretty? Aoitsuki is interchangeable, but frankly, it sounds more boyish to me. 

"Damn it, Kagome, what the hell is wrong with you?" Inuyasha finally said.

"Umm...I'm schizophrenic? Hehe..." I chuckled uneasily, looking up at him shyly. He merely frowned.

"That's not funny, Kagome."

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. In any other situation in which I wasn't pregnant, I'd easily turn on that charm, and he'd forget this entire conversation. However, my self-confidence was currently in very low supply. Apparently, the supply and demand system was _not _on my side right now. "I don't know, I just...I guess I don't think I'm good enough for you, is all."

"But since when have you thought you were actually _fat_?! What the hell is a few pounds, Kagome?!"

"I don't know!" I whined, aware that I sounded younger than the undeveloped child in my womb.

"Kagome, there are people in damn _America _fatter than you. _Way _fatter. And they're not pregnant. Hell, _you're _not fat!"

"Then what the fuck is this?!" I cried out, jumping to my feet and gripping the looser skin around my midsection. "There's no reason for you to care about any of the other fat people, especially not the fat people in America, for God's sakes! I mean, _they're _not your mates! Who in the world would ever want the fat girl?" I muttered sullenly, releasing my fat. Inuyasha looked up at me and I at him.

"Look at me, Kagome. What do you see?"

"A hot hunk of a hanyou who doesn't deserve Shamu's obese mother-in-law." I moaned.

"Kagome..." he sighed firmly. "Look at my _body_." I glared at him weakly. He wanted to show off, the prick... I humored him, however, and lazily ran my eyes over his frame. A blush dusted my cheeks when I noticed the throbbing bulge in his pants. I looked up at his face, and his expression was, like, _so damn serious_. He was staring me in the eye.

"Any man should get excited seeing their mate carrying his child." He said. My eyes brimmed with unshed tears and I threw my arms around his neck. He unhesitatingly returned the embrace, stroking my hair with one hand and lifting me onto his lap with the other. I was amazed at the strength, and it obviously showed in my aura. He chuckled. "It's like when a mother defends her child, and they seem to possess superhuman strength; inuyoukai strength damn near triples when their mate is with child." I smiled lovingly at him.

"Did you know I love you?"

"Do you love me enough to stop calling yourself a whore?" I scowled at him.

"Why do you always deny what I am?"

"I'm not _denying _who you are, because that's not what you are!"

"Well, fine, if you wanna get technical, it's _not _what I am—it's what I _was_, and there will always be a part of me that'll remain that whore."

"But you are not a fucking whore, Kagome! You're my mate, for god's sake!"

"I'm aware of that, thank you, and I have the rash on my ass and the bite marks to prove it! I am what I am, so don't try to change me. I'm a whore, not a miko, and I'm going to hell in the end. That's how it is, that's how it's gonna be." I harrumphed, crossing my arms stubbornly. Inuyasha groaned, lifting me from his lap and plunking me onto the couch. He got to his feet and headed for the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" I exclaimed, alarmed. I knew he wasn't actually _leaving _me for this petty argument...right? _Right_?!

_Oh, damn! Is this the part where I'm supposed to offer my input for you to yet again disregard? Well, here it is, plain and simple: No, you idiot. Inuyoukai mate for life, everybody knows that. He's a little ticked right now—though who wouldn't be, what with your constant self-condemnation_—_but he's just going to take a little time away from you. Let you cool down, too._

"I'm going for a walk." He ground out shortly, closing the door behind him. Even as he said the words, I felt the dampness on my cheeks. Now I was alone again, having run off the only man I romantically loved. A migraine was coming on, and I could tell already that this was going to be a _long _pregnancy.

* * *

I found out something about myself. After Inuyasha left, I'd quietly cried myself to sleep. I tend to sleep whenever I have a problem. I read somewhere that when something's wrong, people go to sleep and when they wake up, problem's solved. Apparently, the psychological theory was pretty damn right, because when I woke up, Inuyasha was staring at me, laid beside me. I looked at him, he at me, and at the same time, we blurted, "I'm sorry." We paused. 

"But what are you sorry for? I'm the one that—" We once again said together.

"Go ahead."

"No, you."

"It's only fair that you go first."

"Ladies first."

"...But I insist."

"But I'm the one who walked out."

"Therefore...! (scoffs in obvious way) _You _should go first!"

"Fine. I'm sorry, because I was the one making a big deal out of nothing. You are who you are, and, well...I can't help that. I'm sorry for trying to change you."

"No, no, _I'm _sorry for being so superficial." I sighed. "I'm such a bitch..."

"Yeah, you are. But you're my bitch." He grinned, kissing me on the lips. I smiled against his mouth before he pulled away again.

"...Wow. I just realized something."

"Hmm? And what's that, mate?"

'We just had our first lover's quarrel!" I giggled, clapping my hands together quite Londonishly. "Yay, us!"

Inuyasha laughed. "And this is _good_?"

"Well, sure! I mean..." I delicately traced a finger down his chest, making him shudder. Oh, yeah. I _still _had it. "The more we fight..." I leaned in close to his lips again, our noses touching. "...the better the make-up sex." I shortly puckered my lips, teasing him. My koinu whimpered, obviously wanting more. In any other situation, he would've already had me face down on a pillow by now and by kami, I would've _loved _it. However, due to his child in my womb, he had to be gentler nowadays. Of course, knowing Inuyasha, who'd most likely never inseminated anyone before, he probably thought that we couldn't have sex while I was pregnant.

His naivete sometimes can be quite amusing.

So, to tease him even further, I wiggled my fingers down his pants, creeping down his dick. He groaned lightly, legs vibrating as he clamped them together. I withdrew my hand just before it got crunched up. What the hell?

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"We...we can't do that, not...not, like, _now_!" he panicked. "I-I mean, you're _pregnant_, and I don't wanna harm the pup!" I fought the urge to snicker. I saw this coming. So I straightened my face to the most serious expression I could muster in this situation and said, "Relax, Inuyasha. You won't harm him-slash-her."

"You don't know that!"

"Actually, yes, I do. It's a statistically-proven fact. As a _matter _of fact, they say sex is even better for the baby's metabolism or something like that. Hey, maybe he-slash-she'll be smart." Inuyasha still looked unsure. I sighed with a slight roll of my eyes. "Inuyasha—trust me. You won't hurt me _or _the baby. Besides, I'm still in the early stages!" The hanyou kept silent, eyes averted. I growled, narrowing my eyes. I grabbed his collar and mashed our lips together in a furious kiss. Inuyasha cried out, trying to push me away, but I fisted my fingers in his hair, stilling him. His arms flailed alarmingly, slowly slackening as I trailed my tongue down his swollen bottom lip down to his Adam's apple, which resonated with his audible tremble. With enough sucking of his thyroid cartilage, his arms completely remitted.

"Ohhh...damn you." He muttered, his vibrating cartilage tickling my tongue. I merely smirked, lifting his shirt off of his head.

"It's why you love me. Now shut up and let me make love to you, you idiot." I kissed his right nipple, giggling as I did so and he flinched at the sensation. The concept of him being just as ticklish there as I was, was even funnier than his naivete.

However, once he put his hands up _my_ shirt to take it off, the amusement was gone and I felt very deeply ashamed. Sure, he said all that junk about how we were mates, and he was turned on by me carrying his child, but would it all change when he actually saw my bare stomach? Would he be repulsed? And so, feeling like the hypocrite I'm usually not, I pushed his hands away, sheepishly turning my back to him. I could tell by his very aura that he was hurt and confused.

"Hey, you, what's wrong?"

"Um...nothing..." The short pause that followed and the slightly darker air he emitted told me that he'd narrowed his eyes.

"You're thinking about your weight again, aren't you?" I shook my head rapidly. "(sigh) Damn, Kagome. Well, fine, then. Fuck it. If _you _don't want to do anything, then we won't do anything. I give up. Your weight insecurity, however, is really beginning to grate on my nerves." I felt the bed move and level with the deduction of Inuyasha's weight and I sighed. Again, diffidence ruined my relationship with my mate. When I rolled back over, Inuyasha was gone.

"Damn it!" I swore. I paused before praying that the child didn't have my temper.

* * *

It took Inuyasha an awful long time to return from wherever he'd gone. I was up all night worrying about the idiot man I'd mated, and even Jakoutsu, a bit of waddling--I mean, dancing--and a few pints of Rocky Road couldn't calm me down. My nerves were shot to hell, possibly much like my romantic chances with Inuyasha. If he came back, it would probably only be because he felt obligated to take care of his child. My mind was filled with depressing thoughts such as these, and they all kept me awake, well after Jakoutsu'd gone to bed. It was one in the morning, and I couldn't sleep—no, _wouldn't _sleep until Inuyasha returned. I absolutely refused to. Within the interval of our separation, I ate a strange variety of foods, such as fried sausage wrapped in flat hamburger, topped with bacon bits and smothered in spray cheese and steak sauce. Surprisingly, it was pretty damn good, and I made about three of them before getting sick. I wobbled over to the couch to lay down a while, and so I wouldn't accidentally go to sleep, I cut on the tv. If there was one thing I hated about early morning tv, it was the paid programming. Nothing but paid goddamned programming and other stupid shit. However, a certain produce did intrigue me. 

"Tired of him always leaving you?" a disembodied female voice said in the thirty-minute showing.

"Huh...yeah, I am!"

"Has he been leaving you because of your low-self esteem? Do you feel like less than what you used to be?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Have you gotten fatter?" A vein popped in my forehead.

"Could you get to the goddamned product already?!" I growled.

"Then try Flab-B-Gone—the weight-loss dieting pill for women that _works_." I rolled my eyes at the overly cliché label.

"Oh, forget it. Those things make your tits all...flabby. And mine seem to be getting bigger. I definitely don't need _that_..." With a sigh, I clicked off the television. I cast a longing look at the front door once more. Yep. This was gonna be a _long _pregnancy.


	15. Chapter 15

"Does this belong to you?" Jakoutsu glowered at me as I came into the kitchen the next morning. I gave into my temptation of sleep last night and went out like a light, hoping Inuyasha would come back. Obviously, he didn't.

I looked at Jakoutsu, puzzled, until my eyes trailed down to his hand. I gasped to see Inuyasha being held up by the scruff of his collar on the kitchen table. "He _reeks _of every single thing in the cupboard. You got cleaned the hell out by this idiot drunkard. I found him on this table, passed out and drunk, this morning. _Handle it_. I'm going to that generic fast food restaurant downtown, WacDnalds." He shook his head as he walked out, muttering, "Dunno _what _the hell we were thinking when we named that shit..." I lifted Inuyasha's head, shaking my head. Tears brimmed slightly in my eyes.

"What's become of you, Inuyasha?" I whispered sadly. His eyes were completely unfocused, mouth agape; if I didn't know any better, I'd say he'd gotten into a dash of weed. His ears only flicked occasionally, so he must have heard me. He slurred out something incomprehensible. I couldn't even gather the strength to lift him to the couch. I simply turned him on his back on the table and lifted one of his eyelids. Red veins shot haphazardly across his eyeballs. I sniffled to prevent my tears from falling. This was all my fault... "Inuyasha, please, if you can hear me, just—"

"Aggghhh..." he groaned. "Kuh...goooo...me?"

"Yes, it's me." I said quietly.

"Gah...damn...I'm so wasted." He gurgled, raising a hand to his forehead.

"You don't have to tell me that..." I smiled, brushing a tendril from his face.

"I'm sorry for burdening you with all this...I don't usually drink so much; I guess I was just...I dunno, stressed out." He grunted, attempting to lift himself off of the table.

"No, it's my fault for stressing you out so much. I'm sorry. Please, forgive me." He looked at me seriously...or as serious as one could look hung-over.

"Kagome, you have to realize that I'm willing to see you in any form, and no matter how fat you _think _you are, it doesn't matter to me because I love you."

"I know, a-and I love you, _too_...it's just that...I'm just so insecure about myself...I'm scared of what you might think of me." I admitted sheepishly. Inuyasha reached out and wiped away a tear I hadn't felt fall.

"If I didn't think you were the most beautiful woman in existence, do you think I would've even mated you? Fell in love with you? Risked my very life for you?" Now on his two feet, he put his right arm around my waist and his left around my neck in a gentle embrace. He kissed me chastely on my lips, stroking my hair lovingly. "I need you to trust me, koishii. I want you to trust that my love for you runs so much deeper than petty shortcomings." I looked into his eyes, which had cleared more than when I'd first saw them earlier.

"Yes. You're right. I'm sorry. I _do _trust you." I said resolutely, kissing him back. He smiled warmly at me.

"And...?"

"And I love you." I grinned. He leaned in close to me.

"How much do you love me?" His breath stank of alcohol and I grimaced playfully.

"Enough to tell you that your breath is kicking like Bruce Lee. You could stand a bit of Listerine, y'know. Mixed with Scope and Colgate." He glared at me with a smirk, pushing me out of his way. I merely giggled.

* * *

Three months later, in December, I was showing six-month progress. Inuyasha and I hadn't fought anymore, except for those minor pointless clashes we had over what gender the baby would be, or who loved who more, or who ate the remaining carton of cherry vanilla ice cream—(cough) Inuyasha! When we walked together in the street, people would coo and aww at us and ask me how far along I was. Strangely, every time I responded three months, they seemed to be horrified. Maybe they thought I was just a little fatass. Heh. But anyway, I saw someone who I hadn't seen in...hell, a _while_.

Tobushikai.

I paled when I felt her familiar aura, but was mildly shocked to feel another aura with hers. "Heads up—dike alert." We continued walking, until we met them. It was Tobushikai and Kouga, together. And the former looked pranged up. Like, what the fuck?

"Hi, Kagome!" the two chorused, completely ignoring Inuyasha. My mate and I anime-sweatdropped.

"Um...hi. What are...you two doing together? I thought you were...well...you know."

"Actually, it turns out I'm bisexual—isn't that just the craziest thing? I met Kouga-kun here in an alley a few months back, all beaten and battered. I took pity on him and invited him into my home. There, he told me the horrible story of that hanyou asshole, and how he took you away from him." Both wolves glared at Inuyasha, who gave them a rictus.

"You have _gotta _be fucking kidding me..."

"I related my own tale to him, of how Inukkoro took you from _me_, and told him that I was pregnant by you." Inuyasha and I gaped at her. Um...yeah. Right. (whistles) Okay, what in the _hell_?

"Uh...how did...?"

"Don't ask." Kouga grinned. "Point is, we found a lot in common, and fell in love. Now we can raise our own little piece of you, Kagome." Shocked wasn't the word to describe me at that moment. More like...freaked out. Yeah. My two rapists banded together and found the common ground that is their love for me, and in that found love with each other. That's..._not _something that happens everyday.

"Right...well...I really hope you two are, um...happy with each other. Are-are you mates?" I smiled weakly, in a feeble attempt at conversation.

"Oh, no, not yet."

"But we will be once little Koubushime is born." I palpebrated. Aside from the obvious fact that the child's name was a combination of Kouga's, Tobushikai's, and my name, it was actually a pretty name.

"Right. Yes. Well, it was, uh, nice seeing you two again. I wish you the best." I bowed slightly to them, and they bowed back. We parted ways. Once we were sure that we were out of earshot, Inuyasha said, "Now _that _was some freaky shit."

"You're telling _me_. They didn't idolize and rape _you_. I do feel kinda honored, though." His eyebrow inclined.

"You mean, you're actually honored to impregnate a dike?"

"No!" I said quickly. "I mean, having a third of my name as a fourth of a child's. That's so nice!" Inuyasha gave me a dry look.

"Yeah...yeah, you're crazy."

"Thank you so kindly." I smirked. "I've been thinking, Inuyasha."

"Oy gevalt—this can't be good." He joked.

"Oh, shut up. I'm serious, though—about the name of our child. I was thinking about...Tsutsuji if a girl, Aoitsuki if a boy. Although, if you don't like Tsutsuji, Aoitsuki is always interchangeable." Inuyasha chuckled.

"Anything you choose is fine by me." He gave me a quick kiss on the nose and I grinned, blushing slightly. "And _I _was thinking, too. We've only got about a month and a half till this baby's born. We need to start stacking up."

"Think Jakoutsu'll let us use his truck?"

"He better—it's his godson or daughter!" I grinned again.

"Then let's go back home."

"D'you want me to carry you?" he smiled.

"Heh...no thanks...I think I can bear my own weight..." I replied smoothly, enjoying it when he let me walk by myself, but supported me with his arms nevertheless.

* * *

"You're _what_?!" Inuyasha and I gaped at Jakoutsu when he delivered the news.

"Since y'all didn't hear me the first time, apparently...I'm moving out." Jakoutsu sighed sadly. "Three is indeed a crowd, and hearing you two through the walls prevents me from sleeping at night." We blushed.

"But Jakoutsu, you can't leave!" I protested. "I mean...after all we've been through together! You helped me through my crises; you helped Inuyasha rescue me! You taught me how to dance, you-you helped buy me my new car!" It was true; Jakoutsu really was a huge part of my life.

"Yeah, man. I never thought I could live with a gay dude, but it seems you're apparently cool." Inuyasha offered. Dry looks thrown his way shut him up.

"Gee, thanks. I appreciate it." Jakoutsu said sarcastically. "Noooope, sorry. I'm leaving in four days. Here's my two weeks' notice."

"Aw, come _on_, Ja-chan!" I whined. "At least stay through my pregnancy to help me through that!" Jakoutsu now had a hesitant look on his face.

"I don't know..." Before he could say anything further, his cell phone went off. He swiped it up and answered it. "Hello?" He broke out in a huge grin. "Hi, Musou!" Inuyasha and I blinked at each other. Who was Musou? "Yeah...yeah, I was telling them before you called. No, it's alright. ...Yeah, you were right, they did!"

"Um...if you don't mind me cutting in...who's Musou?"

"Hold on a minute, Musou." Jakoutsu put a palm to the mouthpiece and said, "He's my boyfriend."

"You have a boyfriend?!?!" Inuyasha and I yelled.

"Yes...I do. I'm going to stay with him." I couldn't believe my best buddy in the whole world was leaving me for another gay dude...but I did want him to be happy, so what could I do?

"Ohh..." I said quietly.

"Don't be that way, Kagome!" Jakoutsu whined. "You make me feel worse about this! Look, would you feel better if I invited Musou over to visit?" I shrugged. He knew what that meant. He uncovered the mouthpiece and said, "Musou, can you come over? They want to meet you. ...Yeah. No, by the—yeah, that's right. Okay. See you later." He hung up and put his cell back in his pocket.

"What I'm offended by is how shocked you seem that I can't get a man. If _you _can, I know for damn sure I can." He grinned at me.

"Not funny." I laughed.

"You're laughing, aren't you?"

"Not fair, either! You're trying to lessen the blow with humor! That's dirty." I accused, still snickering.

"Obviously, it's working. Look, Kagome, it's not like you'll never see me again...I mean, I'll visit you and stuff, but...you know how much I hate mooching."

"But you don't mooch!" I pouted. "We always split everything fifty-fifty, and stuff!"

"Kagome...c'mon, now, don't make it harder than it has to be." Inuyasha chided gently, squeezing my shoulder. He was right, though I hated to acknowledge it. I sighed.

"Yeah...but I'll miss you, you big lunk!" I sniffled, hugging him tightly. "And you better send us our Christmas presents in two weeks! No cheap bullshit, either!" As I released him, he chuckled.

"Of course not."

"So, um...how long have you and Musou known each other?"

"Oh, for 'bout two months now."

"You mean you've had a boyfriend for that long and didn't bother to tell us?!"

"Uh...yeah." Jakoutsu nodded casually. "Well, hell, I'm your friend and all, but I for damn sure ain't telling you all my business!"

"_Anyway_..." I sighed. "Man, Jakoutsu...I'm gonna miss you!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, but hey—we'll still each other at the laundromat, right?" he grinned, winking.

"Ha, ha! Not funny." I glared at him jokingly. Inuyasha merely rolled his eyes.

"I didn't laugh." He said innocently.

"Man, how hard was it to find another gay guy around here?" Inuyasha questioned.

"Not very, surprisingly. Did you know that there's a gay bar near Jun's?"

"I didn't." I said. "And I was there right after my birthday."

"Well, see, honey, you're not gay." He said plainly. "You wouldn't think to look for one, would you?"

"No." I shrugged.

"You're not one for rhetorical questions, are you, Kagome?" Before I could reply, he interrupted, "_That_ was a rhetorical question, Kagome." I paused, feeling slightly dumb. There was a knock at the door. "Oh, now that's him." Inuyasha and I looked at each other. Damn, he'd gotten here fast... Jakoutsu went and opened the door to a shirtless, buff, and rather brawny...man. Swear to _God_, if I wasn't mated to Inuyasha and Musou wasn't gay...! Inuyasha cleared his throat, concealing an obvious growl. Damn—I was caught ogling... I blushed, averting my gaze.

"Hi, Musou-chan!" Jakoutsu smirked. Musou lifted Jakoutsu in his arms, bridal-style, and planted a huge kiss on his lips.

"Oh...oh, my Lord..." I muttered, unable to take my eyes away from the very strange and yaoi spectacle. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was gagging and coughing, hiding his eyes behind me.

"Jeez, dudes, there are mates in the vicinity! Could you save the French-fest for when you're living together?!" he yelled out. Musou and Jakoutsu grinned sheepishly as they broke apart. I wanted to ask which of them was the man, since Musou had a more muscular frame, but Jakoutsu was more potentially dangerous, mind-wise. I guessed that Musou was the man, because of Jakoutsu's girlish face and voice. I then stopped this train of thought to ask myself why I was dwelling on the gender roles of two gay men.

"What's up? I'm Musou, but I guess Jakoutsu's already told you about me." He introduced, putting Jakoutsu down. He went to shake Inuyasha's hand, but my mate recoiled, shaking his head rapidly.

"No thanks. Not a homophobe, but...you two might've been running a train lately." Musou merely laughed and came over to shake my hand. I smiled at him, saying, "Excuse my idiot mate. He's Inuyasha; I'm Kagome. We're very pleased to meet you."

"Ah, Kagome—Jakoutsu has told me a lot about you. He didn't tell me you were so pretty, though." I giggled coquettishly, ignoring Inuyasha's jealous growl.

"Why, thank you very much! Jakoutsu, you have a very charming boyfriend!"

"And that's why he's my boyfriend." Jakoutsu beamed proudly. "So now you've met each other, yeah? Great, nice. Well, we'll see you two later." Jakoutsu grabbed his keys off of the coat rack and linked hands with Musou as they walked out the door. I dropped the smile and turned to my scowling mate.

"Cool your jets, Inuyasha, jeez. He wasn't flirting. He's _gay_, for God's sake, and Jakoutsu's man."

"He might not be fully gay, like that Tobushikai bitch."

"Both you and I know that if he was flirting with me, Jakoutsu would know and set his ass straight. So calm down." He grumbled something incoherent and I groaned.

"You're hopeless, mate. He was just being nice!"

"Why're you defending him?" he snapped suddenly.

"Oh, I don't know—because he's _innocent_?" I droned. Inuyasha said nothing.

_Why don't you lick his back? That always calmed Seikami down._

I never knew Seikami got mad...

_Oh, yeah. He's a very nice guy, but when he gets jealous, he's a lot like...Suikoutsu._

I shuddered mentally. So, what, I just had to lick his scars and he'd be cool?

_That's what I'm telling you, smart-ass._

I shrugged. Worth a try, right? Do I straddle his back? Am I too heavy?

_If you are, it's his fault._

You're right. I shoved Inuyasha onto the floor, startling him.

"Oi! What the hell—" I pushed up his shirt and commenced sucking on his healed gashes. He let out a shiver.

"Shut up, Inuyasha." I said in between licks.

"Guuuhh...how in the hell...did you think of this?"

"A little help from my cynical inuyoukai buddy, is all." I grinned, mentally thanking Seimegami.

"D'you...d'you think you could...turn me on my side?"

"Why?"

"I'm...just a little hard." I blinked.

It'll calm him down, huh?

_Hey, it did, didn't it? And turned him __**on**__, as an added bonus!_

With a small side nod, I complied with his request, lying behind him. I took off his shirt entirely, reveling in the musky smell and aura of his lust. I slowly trailed my tongue over the slashes, creeping my hand down the front of his pants. His erection proved his previous words to be _very _far off.

"A _little _hard, huh?" I murmured.

"Heh. You know there's nothing little about me."

"You couldn't be more right..." He emitted a gasp when I gripped him in a moderately tight fashion. "Now look at that—my hand won't even fit around you."

"If you're gonna do all that, then why are we still dressed?"

"I don't know. You tell me." He flipped me onto my back, pinning my wrists and removing my clothes—with his fangs, that is. I knew just what he was doing; trying to prevent me from stopping him. Sly bastard, but smart, because I was for damn sure going to do that. I hoped he knew that he was about to bear witness to cobwebs of stretch marks, and damn it, if he didn't like it, he could just go fuck some other bitch.

_...Do you know how stupid you are?_

Yes, sadly enough.

Once I was completely naked on the canescent rug that surfaced the otherwise bare floor, Inuyasha lay atop me, lovingly licking my heavy stomach. When he lapped at a few stretch marks, I couldn't help the pule that escaped my lips. I had no idea that my striations were so sensitive. He separated my thighs, kissing the curls that hid my clitoris.

"I recall that you didn't allow me to finish doing what I was doing the last time I attempted this." He muttered, lifting the foreskin and blowing gently on the button. I shuddered.

"The hell if I know why..."

"Your permission to continue...captain?" he smirked, kissing my genitalia with moistened lips.

"Permission...granted..." My breath hitched when his tongue darted out ever so slightly, teasing me with the momentary sensation. He lapped up the juice that spilled from me in short bursts, lubricating his tongue with it before swirling his tongue all over my clitoris.

I shrieked, overcome with the intensity with which he did so, and inadvertently linked my fingers behind his head, widening my legs and gently pressing his face between my thighs. He gave a deep, cocky cackle, taking a deep whiff of my continuously streaming honey.

"Fuck...you!" I growled, in response to his arrogance.

"Why, yes, and my pleasure to do so!" he roared, grinning as if possessed by a bedlamite (my new favorite word), and stripped himself of the rest of his clothes, lying over me in all of his tumid glory. Without any kind of a warning, he submerged his dick in me, slightly startling me with the sudden feeling. I gripped the carpet fuzz tightly, shoulders hunching and relaxing with a shuddering moan I released. The effect of my body fluids immersing his lower extremity, now greased with them, engulfed both of us. Inuyasha's dick served as a makeshift cork stopper; when it popped out, my liquids followed, gushing like a broken dam. The bit that didn't escape me was smooshed in-between his manhood and my crevasse's boundary. He quickened his pace considerably, pushing himself to the—or more specifically, _my_—limits. Suddenly, my weight didn't matter to me anymore; all that mattered was Inuyasha mounting me to my orgasm. Both of us cried out each other's names in demonic snarls as the palish fluids soaked the ivory rug. Where Inuyasha would normally collapse upon my torso, he was obviously much more cautious about the child I carried, and averted my stomach altogether, rolling to my side. I had a very lopsided grin on my face, my mate mirroring the expression.

"Kagome..." he chortled playfully, walking his fingers around my naked stomach. I giggled.

"That tickles. What's gotten into you? You look like you've been puffing weed or something..."

"No...it's just...you're having my child!" he laughed giddily, rubbing his soft head against my stomach. I rolled my eyes, a small smile on my face, and stroked his hair lovingly.

"Yeah...you're right. Something I never thought I'd have the chance to do..."


	16. Chapter 16

Three weeks passed easily, my stomach swelling steadily throughout the interval. I knew that, within a mere three more weeks, I'd be having Inuyasha's child—I mean _pup_. With his and Seimegami's constant use of the new term, I had to get accustomed to the fact that I wasn't having any regular child by any regular person. I was seriously having a _puppy_. The thought was too cute. It was after Christmas, during which many gifts were sent my way, by guys I'd forgotten from my past.

When my mate asked me who all the presents were from, I stammered out the truth, hoping he wouldn't slash up the good stuff, which was basically everything. However, much to my and Seimegami's surprise, he didn't. He remained calm. The gifts all contained _something _sexual, from slinky, intimately-colored lingerie to sex toys. Some of them even had _me _blushing. I picked out the ones I didn't want, which Inuyasha was all too happy to smash up and burn.

Jakoutsu's present was, obviously, much less...what's the word...risqué. It was a brand-new blue Katana _and _a silver DS, equipped with the Yoshi game I'd been wanting for forever. I squealed loudly, happy as a clam. (What does that even _mean_?!)

"I _knew _there was a reason I loved that guy!" I grinned uncontrollably, cuddling the electronics as if they were my pup.

Next came a gift from Kouga and Tobushikai, surprisingly enough. It turned out to be a chewy rubber bone, colored my favorite color—red—and smelled of every single meat I liked. I inadvertently put it in my mouth and bit at it. Inuyasha laughed at me, bringing me back to reality and the fact that I was chewing on a _bone_.

_A damn good bone, too._

I spat it out, glaring at Inuyasha with a blush coating my face. I read the note inside. It said:

_Dear Kagome (and the mutt, too, I guess):_

_You have my and Kouga's utmost gratitude (and love) for bringing us together. Since little Koubushime will be born soon, we are beginning to think about baby things, such as clothes, puppy biscuits, the like. While passing a pet store, we saw this bone and instantly thought of the pup you would be having by the mutt you mated._

Inuyasha growled, reading the note over my shoulder. "_I'm _a mutt?! Fuck you, ya dyked-up bitch!"

_After purchasing a blue one for our own pup, we decided to get one for you, too. We know that your pup—or its father, at the very least—will enjoy it._

_Also—and this part is for said mongrel—Kouga and I figured, much to the former's reluctance,_ _that Inuyasha played a part in our conjoining. If he hadn't come to rescue us—which was most likely your idea anyway—I wouldn't've gotten back to civilization and met Kouga-kun, who I wouldn't've found if it weren't for Inuyasha slashing him up so badly. I was able to heal him, which led to other things..._

_But anyway. Kouga doesn't know I'm writing this part, so I have to close up soon. I suppose I thank you __**both **__for your help, and I wish you the best with your child._

_Always with love,_

_Tobushikai (and Kouga, of course.)_

"I'm not sure whether to be offended or flattered. But damn if this bone ain't good." I said, picking up the bone, heedless of the countless unseen dust mites it had collected, and slapped it back into my mouth.

Sango too sent me a little something, adding on the tag in parentheses "Miroku's idea...". Inuyasha groaned.

"Anything from that perv has _got _to be worse than any of the stuff these other guys sent you." He commented. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at him.

"Oh, c'mon, now, Inuyasha. Is your opinion of Miroku _that _low?"

"Yes, actually, it is."

"...Hmm. Good point. Anyway, let's see what the perv got me!" I grinned, ripping open the box. It was, peculiarly, a CD case, with a note taped to it. Inuyasha grabbed the note, while I analyzed the CD.

"Miroku wrote..."Enclosed is a compact disc, or CD, chock-full of love songs. Guaranteed to make you horny"..." My ears, along with Inuyasha's, pricked up at hearing this, and my face pinked ever so slightly.

"Um...oh..._kay_!" I squeaked.

"Heh! "Make you horny, and help you conceive a few more puppies(?). This is the exact same CD Sango and I listened to when Kinamadare was conceived. Coincidence?"

"I think not." Inuyasha and I said together, anime-sweatdropping.

"Yep...just what I told you." My mate sighed. "Let's listen to some of it to see if it really does work."

I shrugged. "Eh. What could it hurt?" Two minutes into the first track, Inuyasha and I were on the floor making out, me half-naked and him with a hard-on.

* * *

But back to the week _after _Christmas... 

Early in the day, at around ten, Kouhaku came and picked me up in Sango's car. When I'd asked him why he was here, he responded that she had to get a few "womanly supplies," and that Miroku always overreacted when she did, so she left him at home with Kinamadare. Sango wanted me to keep an eye on her boyfriend to make sure he didn't muck up everything.

I grinned at him from the passenger's seat as he coolly made his way through the Hokkaidan traffic.

"You sure Sango wants you driving her car?" I teased.

"Aw, c'mon, Kagome, I look older than you by now!" Kouhaku whined. I anime-sweatdropped, a vein visibly bursting in my forehead as I gritted, "Are you saying I'm _old_, Kouhaku-_chan_?!"

"Gah! No, ma'am! Uhh...I mean..." He gulped at my growl. "You're not _old_; it's just the pregnant...ness. I see a bunch of older people get pregnant, and since I'm...well, seventeen, I...never mind." I sighed, shaking my head.

"You forget I was just seventeen only five years ago. I'm not that old."

"I know, I know!" he laughed uneasily. "You still look it, too! ...Well, if it weren't for the Buddha belly you currently sport. ...But then again, there were a lot of pregnant girls back in high school...huh."

"Kouhaku, honey."

"Yeah?"

"Just shut up."

"Right." We arrived at Sango's house five minutes later. Kouhaku politely helped me out, making me feel like a crotchety old woman when I insisted that I didn't need any help.

"Nonsense!" the cheerful teen waved me off. "You're pregnant, meaning you need all the help you can get." Before I could protest any further, Kouhaku was steadying my back and stomach as I walked to the door. "Uh, allow me!" He rushed in front of me to open the door, grinning at me. "Wouldn't want you to hit the door with your stomach, would we?"

"What is this, fucking Boy Scouts?" I muttered, walking into the house, where Miroku currently payed with Kinamadare, who was laughing gaily.

"Hey! Nobody rolls with those gaywads anymore—it's all about the _Cub _Scouts nowadays. Jeez, Kagome, get with the times." But wouldn't the boy scouts be _better _than the Cub Scouts? What, was inferiority the in thing now? Ugh. I couldn't help but despise my generation's total lack of sense.

"Hi, Miroku." I greeted, about to sit on the couch, when Miroku suddenly called out, "I wouldn't if I were you!" I blinked at him.

"Why not? Did Kin-chan piss here?" Miroku laughed.

"No; you might find it hard to get back up, and I am currently playing with my daughter." He replied.

"Oh. Well, then, where the hell _can _I sit?!"

"Uh...On the floor, maybe? I'll put a pillow down." He offered. I gave him the driest look I could muster.

"Fine..." I sighed, watching with interest as he played with Kinamadare with one hand and placed a pillow under my butt with the other. I sat down, clapping hyperbolically.

"That's pretty impressive, Miroku." I commented.

"What? Oh, the one-handed thing? That's nothing. My dear Sango taught me many things, and multi-tasking is one of them. Why, I remember last night, she absolutely _loved _my multi-tasking—"

"LA, LA, LA, LA!!!! _Too _much fricking info, perv!" I shouted, plugging my ears. He grinned shamelessly.

"I keep forgetting—gomen, Kagome!" he chuckled. I disconnected my fingers from my ears, shooting him a look. Kinamadare merely giggled, burbling something akin to "Daddy perv." I could only imagine what Sango and Miroku say around that child... "So...did you and Inuyasha receive my CD?" Red staining my face, I nodded. "Ha! I see it worked! You played it as soon as you got it, just to see whether it worked, didn't you?!" Again, I nodded, more reluctantly this time, my blush increasing. "And you ended up rutting on the floor, didn't you?" He smirked smugly.

"No!" I drawled. "We only _half_-rutted, thank you very much!"

"Tell me, how much have you played it since you got it?"

"Well, I think I can safely say...every chance we get."

"Hell, I should market that thing! I've got, like, ten of 'em in the room! I call them...Auditory Pornography. You have the first edition."

"...Think you could change the name?"

"Is AP good enough?" I shrugged.

"Y'know, you should be a DJ or something."

"Um...no. All I did was compile the sexiest songs I have onto CDs. I'm telling you, the Internet is a powerful thing. It can control the world." He said seriously. I laughed. He set Kinamadare on the floor, saying, "I'll be back in a few. I'm heading for the kitchen. Want anything?"

"Well, I don't mean to impose..." I began.

"Nonsense!" Miroku grinned. I felt a strange sense of deja vu. "Impose all you like! I personally recommend some of Murasaki-chan's baby food, preferably the applesauce."

"You...eat your child's baby food?"

"Hell yeah! Some of it, I sneak into the cart in the grocery store when Sango isn't looking. It's pretty damn good."

"Well...I guess I'll try a little."

"Nice! Start feeding the baby early!" He winked, heading off into the kitchen. I smiled at Kinamadare, who looked at me with an O mouth. Then, she shakily got to her feet, wobbling towards me. My own eyes widened as she slowly but surely made her way towards me.

"MIROKU!!!!" I cried out. "COME HERE, COME HERE, QUICK, QUICK! Kin-chan is _walking_!" Miroku bolted in, a camcorder in hand, and made a baseball slide onto the rug, taping every moment of this spectacular event. I watched in awe as Kinamadare unsteadily walked in my direction. She lost her balance, though, and fell on my stomach. I felt like I was going to gag, but I strained a smile, even as Miroku winced, saying, "C'mere, Kin-chan...come to Daddy...no—no, Auntie Kagome's stomach isn't a—don't hit Auntie Kagome's stomach, Kin-chan...!" He set down the camcorder and ran to get Kinamadare, who was currently pounding my stomach like it was a drum. Swear to _God_, if I had a miscarriage because of Kin-chan...

Miroku went over and cut off the camcorder, sighing. "I'm sorry about that, Kagome." The child's bottom lip trembled, signaling the beginning of a good, old-fashioned cry. She whimpered, a sound that sounded like Auntie Kagome in babble-speak. "No, Kinamadare, bad girl. Very bad girl. Don't hit Auntie Kagome." Kinamadare's face scrunched up, trembling. Miroku blinked.

"Yuh-oh. Better get the flowers, 'cause here come the waterworks..." I warned, covering my ears right before Kinamadare released an ear-splitting howl worthy of Inuyasha when we listened to Miroku's AP last week.

"Damn!" Miroku panicked, head jerking around frantically. He was apparently in search of something.

"Looking for her bottle?" Without turning to me, he nodded. "How 'bout looking behind you, Einstein?" Miroku whipped around, picking up the bottle, and sat on the couch, Kinamadare in his arms on his lap. He tried to feed her bottle, but she smacked it out of his hand with such force that it came hurtling for my head. I ducked effortlessly, shaking my head when it hit the wall. "Y'know, she could be a racquetball player when she gets old enough. You should take note of that."

"I d-I don't know what to do!" Miroku freaked, overwhelmed by Kinamadare's wails. I held out my hands.

"Give her here, dude." Without hesitation, he did so, and I held the girl in my arms, thinking of a song my mother sang to me when I cried. I cleared my throat and began to sing. "Hontou ni taisetsu na, mono igai subete sutete...shimaetera ii noni ne, genjitsu wa tada zankoku de..." Remember back when I said I'd think about singing? Before Kouga came in and raped me? Well, I remembered, and I found out—I can _sing_! Ooh!

So well could I sing, in fact, that Kinamadare almost instantly quieted, and her eyes drooped as she let out a huge yawn. Those things were contagious, as I returned the yawn, but Miroku simply gaped at me.

"Kagome, I-I didn't know you could _sing_..." he muttered.

"And I didn't know you could deejay until I got that CD, so I guess we both learned something this month, hmm?"

"Oh, man. I can't wait to see how you handle _your _child, especially during the first six weeks. Now _that _crying can't be solved with pretty humming."

"Oh, I know. A few boob-sucks and he or she should be fine, especially if it's a boy." Miroku beamed.

"I remember back when Sango was first pregnant. Her boobs practically _doubled _in size! I couldn't even fit—"

"Shut the hell _up_, Miroku!!! I keep telling you, I don't want to hear these things!" I hissed, not wanting to awaken Kin-chan.

"Oops! My bad again, sorry, sorry!" he grinned, rubbing the nape of his neck.

"Where's her bed?"

"Crib," he corrected. "And it's right down the hall; last room to the left." I nodded, trying to get to my feet, but I momentarily forgot that I was pregnant.

"Couldja...d'you think you could help me up, buddy?" I asked.

"Of course, buddy." He chuckled, standing and taking Kinamadare from me. He set her down for a while to help me up.

"You ass! You coulda just taken her to her room yourself! Making a poor old pregnant girl get up! I hate to know what you did when Sango was like this!" I screeched, then clapped a hand to my mouth. There was a silence, filled by Kinamadare's light snoring and the ticking of the overhead clock.

"Yeah. Okay. She's a heavy sleeper." Miroku explained.

"Ah..." I murmured. "Obviously. Um...and this is the part where you help me up and we go to the kitchen table for light conversation and baby applesauce."

"Righty-o!" Miroku cackled, getting me to my feet and helping me to the kitchen.

* * *

Miroku dropped me off at the condo a few hours after Sango returned, at about four. I was sure that Inuyasha was probably gone, so I'd be alone in the house. Sigh. I was getting slightly used to it nowadays, though this would be the first time in a while that I was by myself at home, but still. I walked in, humming "Dearest" to myself, and was mildly surprised to hear light music playing. I recognized it as the type recorded on Miroku's AP. I was apparently wrong; Inuyasha _was _home, and was playing sex joints. I grinned to myself. Aw...my hanyou missed me, did he? Well, I'd play the game with him. 

"Inuyasha...!" I called sweetly. "Where are you?"

"Right here, sexiness." I bit my lip to keep from squealing in horny happiness as he sauntered in slowly, in nothing but a pair of satiny black boxers and a white rose in his mouth. R. Kelly's "Bump and Grind" was the song playing; I knew the words by heart, and apparently, so did Inuyasha, because he was sluggishly dancing his way towards me and singing the song, not taking his eyes from me. Hands locked behind his head, he rocked his hips in a sexy circular motion once he'd approached me. He took the rose from his mouth, holding it out to me. "For you, girl." Containing my giddiness in a calm smile, I accepted the rose, making sure to brush his fingers with my own. He grinned. "Uh-uh-uh! Today, it's all _you_." I wanted to say, "Isn't it always?" but restrained, since he seemed so sure of himself. Instead, I replied, "Okay. That's cool." As his grin increased and he lowered his mouth near my ear, "Bump and Grind" ended to make way for the intro to Blackstreet's "Deep." Apparently, Miroku wasn't one for petty talk, because he skipped over the short intro conversation and got right into the song. Inuyasha dipped his tongue into my ear, making me shudder at the unfamiliar experience. My heartbeat quickened and my knees nearly malfunctioned. My mate must've sensed my weakening state, for he steadied me by placing a firm hand on my behind. I blushed a little.

He then dragged his tongue out of my ear and to the fallible spot underneath. "Tell me, Kagome..." he said in-between languorous licking. "Do you like this shirt?"

"Um...N-not particularly..."

"Then you won't mind if I do this..." Before I could ask for any sort of elaboration, his claw had already slashed through the front of my pregnant-girl shirt. It fell to the floor in half-assed tatters, and there I stood—much to Inuyasha's obvious pleasure—literally half-naked, since I could no longer wear a bra. (Don't ask...) Red veins grooved all over the enlarged breasts, indicating the precaution Inuyasha had to take if he wished to do what his tongue trailing down suggested he was about to do. The tip of the agile mass of muscular tissue tracked along one vein in particular which led to my nipple. I released a gasp, biting my lip again. Inuyasha knew my breasts were especially sensitive now that I was lactating, and so didn't nip at them, for fear of breaking a vein. Instead, he gently sucked at the one, wary of his fangs. I felt a bit of milk secrete from me, which Inuyasha dabbed at with his tongue, but then puled away, wiping his mouth with a grim expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothin'...I just feel bad about taking milk from my pup." He explained gruffly.

"Then...suck elsewhere?" I grinned suggestively. He smirked back at me, and helped me to lay down, taking off my shoes, socks, pants, and panties in that order. When he kissed my protruding bellybutton, I suddenly felt a surge of pain go through my body, my stomach aching horribly. I cried out against the pain, alarming Inuyasha.

"Kagome! What—are you okay?!" he panicked, and I could sense his fear.

"I...think I'm having..."

"Having—having what?! Oh, my God, you're having the baby!!!!" he shrieked, scrambling to his feet. "I—I gotta, I gotta—I gotta get the-the—DAMN, I'M NOT READY FOR THIS!"

"How do you think I feel?!?!" I ground out, wishing the pain would go away.

_You idiot, you're not having the baby __**yet**__—you're having a contraction!_

Okay, now _that _I think I could deal with! How long does it last?

_Probably ten minutes...an hour._

GAAAAAH! "Inuyasha! Seimegami says that it's-it's not _labor_!"

"Oh, thank Jesus!" Inuyasha gasped, falling to his knees at my side.

"It's a contraction—it's supposed to last from ten minutes to an hour." I blew through my teeth.

_I suggest you time it. The time between contractions, that is._

Oh, _God_—I have to have _more _of them?! Why do I have to time it?

_They can start off an hour apart, 48 or 24 hours before the birth, but once they're 15 or 20 minutes apart, better think about calling the hospital._

God...I didn't know so much was involved!

"Inuyasha, go get a stopwatch. I need you to record the times between contractions." I puffed out, feeling the sweat drip down my face.

"Right!" he said, dashing off to our room. In a matter of seconds, he was back at my side, stopwatch in hand. "Okay, so what now?"

"Just...wait until the contraction is over."

"When will it be?" he questioned softly, now much calmer and rubbing my stomach.

"I don't know." I took a deep breath to keep from yelling at him. "Seimegami says from ten minutes to an hour." Inuyasha winced, and I gave him a feeble yet reassuring smile, fondling one of his ears gently. I only then noticed that he'd cut off the music. I sighed inwardly; I felt bad for him. "I'm sorry your plan didn't work out very well."

"Ah...don't worry about it." He grinned. "We've got all the time in the world after you're pregnant, right?"

"...Yeah. Sure...maybe not during the first six weeks..." I added under my breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing..."


	17. Chapter 17

FNC: Hello, there, all! Now...this chapter is a bit complex, so tell me if you've experienced the following: Love it in the beginning, hate it near the middle, feel sorry after the middle, feel glad after the after the middle, then love it in the end. When you review, tell me exactly how you felt about it. I love to hear from ya! ('Cause I have no life.)

"_**AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!**_" I yelled out. Two weeks, four days, and countless painful contractions later--in other words, Saturday the 14th in January, I was in the maternity ward digging my very human fingernails into Inuyasha's already welted hand. The doctor, whom Inuyasha insisted was female, soothingly said, "C'mon, Kagome, push a little harder..." I gripped my mate's hand harder, evoking a yelp from him.

"She said _push_, not _hurt_!" he whined, trying to retract his hand, but I refused to let go. With the other hand was a camcorder borrowed from Sango and Miroku, who were with Kinamadare, Jakoutsu, and Musou, all outside, along with Kouga. Tobushikai, oddly, was having her child today, too, and Kouga must've refused to be in there. I dunno; I guess the sight of birth scared him.

I pushed again, this time as hard as I possibly could, and the doctor exclaimed, "I see the head!"

"Push!!!" Inuyasha hollered, making sure to capture all of it on tape. Again I pushed, using the same intensity as before. I paused to take a few puffs of breath.

"PUSH!" both Inuyasha and the doctor demanded.

"ALRIGHT, ALREADY!" I screamed back as I squeezed until my face turned a reddish-purple from the exertion. Dr. Sasaki readied a cloth with which to catch the baby when it came out right at my vagina.

"Okay...I'm seeing...the neck...push further, Kagome..." My eye twitched madly as I nearly broke my back in the attempt to force this child from my womb.

_Don't worry; it get_s _easier the second time around_.

_Second _time?!?! Fuck that—he's not putting that thing in me ever again!

"Upper body..." I smiled weakly, despite the pain and exhaustion I felt, but I had just enough energy to take one deep breath, spread my legs wider, and gave one final strong shove. The infant popped out onto the white cloth. I sighed deeply, glad that, after fourteen agonizing hours, it was finally over.

Once she'd snipped the umbilical cord, Dr. Sasaki laid the baby on a different padded surface to clean it off. After it was cleaned completely of blood, Sasaki took down its statistics on a clipboard. "Doctor..." Inuyasha said cautiously, glancing at his swollen hand after I'd released it. "So...what is it? Boy? Girl?" Sasaki smiled at him.

"I am proud to announce...at 9 pounds, 3.4 ounces, it's a boy!" I beamed as strongly as I possibly could. "Kagome...would you like to hold your baby?" the doctor smiled. Tears glistened in my eyes as I, with shaking hands, received the child in his warm swaddling cloth. I stared at him lovingly, taking in his features. Inuyasha looked at him proudly, too.

"Our son..." he whispered.

"I'll give you two some privacy." Sasaki smiled. "Would you like me to send in your friends?"

"Yes, please." I nodded, and she left. Upon further inspection of the child, I cocked my head curiously. "He...doesn't have puppy ears?" Inuyasha sniffed him.

"And he don't smell very...doglike to me..."

_...Something is wrong with that baby, Kagome. Very, very wrong._

"Don't say that!" I cried out, startling Inuyasha. "Nothing's wrong with my baby!"

_Well, I have a feeling that he's not anything you or Inuyasha expected! In fact, I don't even think he's Inuyasha's!_

I gasped softly, belatedly realizing that the boy had made his way to my breast and was now fervently suckling at it. Sango, Miroku, Jakoutsu, and Musou came in quietly, all beaming.

"So what is it?" Jakoutsu asked.

"He's..." A sudden flashback of Houjou's last words hit me full force. _Just know that you'll always hold a piece of my heart..._a piece of his heart...

I stared down at the child, horrified. Musou scratched his head.

"That kid looks a lot like my dad, for some reason..."

"Who's your dad?" Inuyasha questioned, frowning. I think he was coming to the same realization that I was.

"Kagetohru—Kagetohru Houjou." He answered. My eyes widened, along with Inuyasha and Jakoutsu's. With trembling hands, I took the child from my breast, provoking tears, and handed him to Inuyasha, who seemed just as unstable as I. My head plopped onto the pillow before I fainted.

* * *

Ten minutes later, I came to, breathing heavily. Everyone was staring at me strangely, but Inuyasha wasn't there. Sasaki gave me a worried look. 

"Kagome, are you okay?"

"Um...yeah...I think so...where's Inuyasha?" My friends all looked at each other grimly. Sasaki fidgeted uncomfortably.

"This seems like a personal problem to me...call me when you need me." She said, scurrying out.

"Mind explaining what's going on, Kagome?" Jakoutsu frowned.

"I don't...it was..." I sighed. "Inuyasha's not the father of the child." Eyes widened all around.

"Whoa. Total bombshell." Miroku whistled.

"But I didn't even _know _until Musou said he looked like Houjou! Seimegami _told _me something was wrong with him!" I cried out.

"I knew that asshole—no offense, Musou—had something up his sleeve when he said you'd hold a piece of his heart!" Jakoutsu growled.

"Well, whatever the case, this is still your baby, regardless of whom the father is." Sango reasoned. "You should love him." I nodded. She was right.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Miroku." Sango ordered, and her boyfriend handed my son to me. Even though he didn't have the doggy ears I so longed for, nor the beautiful amber eyes Inuyasha possessed, I still did love him as my own. As I held him to the breast he was previously denied, stroking his powdery-white hair, a name came to mind.

"So what are you going to—"

"Hakudoushi." I interrupted, before Jakoutsu could even finish the question. He looked bewildered.

"Wh-what?"

"I'm going to name him Hakudoushi—Hakudoushi Kai'shigure Higurashi."

"Hmm. Relatively nice." Sango said approvingly. "Now if only Inuyasha were around to know his...stepson? Damn, what do you call Hakudoushi in this situation?"

"Foster son, I suppose." Miroku shrugged. I only rolled my eyes.

"Hakudoushi, I suggest you memorize those voices, 'cause you'll be hearing them for the rest of your life."

"Umm...I feel kinda uncomfortable." Musou muttered.

"How come, Musou-kun?" Jakoutsu asked curiously.

"'Cause my brother's mother is younger than me..." We all anime-sweatdropped.

* * *

I didn't see Inuyasha for the remaining two days Hakudoushi and I had to stay in the hospital. Sango and Miroku had to drive me back home. On the ride to the condo, I held Haku-chan in my arms as he slept. 

"Where could Inuyasha have gone?" I asked quietly.

"He came to our house and asked to stay with us." Miroku admittedly sheepishly. "Just last night. I dunno where he'd been before, but he looked tanked up.

"Ohh..." I sighed sadly.

"Kagome, it was no fault of yours, okay? It was all that bastard Houjou's fault for deliberately impregnating you in the first place! He'd just better thank the devil—'cause he went to hell, y'see—that he's already dead, 'cause if he wasn't, I'd kill him my-damn-self!" Sango ranted, making a hard left. Miroku clutched his chest, breathing hard.

"Yes...you see, now, this is why we've always agreed to let me _drive_, darling..." he gulped in between wheezes.

"Oh...sorry." Sango grinned sheepishly.

"Is he still at your house?"

"Yeah, taking care of Murasaki-chan." Miroku said once he'd calmed down.

"Hmm." I said as Sango pulled up to the condo. She stopped the car and turned to me.

"Look, Kagome. Just...give him a little time to cool off, y'know? I'm sure any guy would be shocked, and yes, a little hurt, to find that his girl's child isn't his." I glared at her. "Oh...sorry. I'm not making it any easier, am I?"

"Not particularly." I rolled my eyes, exiting the car.

"Bye, Kagome!" Sango and Miroku waved to me after Miroku'd gotten in the front seat in my absence. Sango drove off, and I headed for the door. I wasn't surprising to see that it was open, though I wasn't as pissed as I was the last time Inuyasha had left the door open. I cut on the lights in the otherwise dimly-lit house and heaved a sigh. I managed to smile at my sleeping son, tickling under his chin.

"Well, Haku-chan...this is your new home!" I announced. "If only your foster father were here to help me out..." Luckily for me, we really did stack up on baby stuff. Baby food was piled up in the cabinets and the now alcohol-free cupboard. Switching holding arms, I looked down at my stomach. It would really be getting flabby soon. I'd have to hit the gym... "That's a long time from now, though, right, Haku-chan?" Apparently, Hakudoushi had had enough of sleepy-time, because his eyes slowly opened and he stared up at me. I blinked, expecting him to cry or something, but he didn't say anything. "I guess you're gonna be a quiet one, huh?" I sighed, anime-sweatdropping. His tiny lips upturned just the slightest bit. "Aw...damn, you're a cute little thing, aren't you? Yes, mommy's little Kai _is _cute!" I cooed, tickling him. He gurgled in response. "C'mon—let's sit down and watch a little tv. Guess who's got the baby channel? Special for you, Hakudoushi!" I clicked on the tv, turning to BabyTV, the new channel for parents and infants. Hakudoushi began to whimper when he saw the little American baby squealing with some red ball. "I agree, Haku. That's so friggin' stereotypical and cliché, those Americans don't even know what the hell to do with themselves. How about some music, then? Can you say "Home Made Kazoku"?" I flipped to the music channels, hoping something good was on. There was nothing but American music, so I shrugged and settled on some dude named Donell Jones's song, "Where I Wanna Be." I dunno. "Well, I guess we're listening to Americans today, Haku..."

Hakudoushi wasn't listening; he was busy trying to burrow through my shirt.

"Just like your father..." I muttered, unbuttoning my blouse just enough for him to get to my bosom. He attacked the swollen breast hungrily. "Y'know, Hakudoushi, I think me and you are gonna get along _juuuust _fine..."

* * *

After two days of loneliness and bonding with my son, I figured that it was about time that Inuyasha stop acting so fucking childish and step up to the plate! So I loaded Hakudoushi up in his car carrier, buckled him in the front seat of my black Maserati, given to me for my birthday last year, and drove off—at a reasonably safe speed, what with my Haku-kun and all—for Sango's. When I put the car in reverse and abruptly turned on the road in Sango's direction, he squealed in what I presumed was joy. I grinned over at the four-day-old. "So you like excitement, huh? Good; that means you're probably mostly like me." I had to be careful when I drove with Hakudoushi in the front seat, and particularly wary when passing cops. Back in the old days—the _real _old days, when I was, like, eighteen or something—whenever I got pulled over by a member of the predominantly male police force of the islands, I had that certain way of clearing my record quite nicely. But now, I for damn sure couldn't do that. I mean...things changed. A _lot_. Who the hell ever suspected _I_, the all-around whore of the Ryukyu Islands, would have a child _and _a mate? ...Well, the mate's on temporary leave, but I was going to settle that off right now. I arrived at Sango's house, pulling in the driveway, and noticed Inuyasha himself was coming out the door. At the sight of me, he averted his head, heaving a sigh, and waltzed his ass right back in the house. "Son-of-a—c'mon, Haku. Let's go get that motherfucker!" I hopped out of my side and slid over the car hood—luckily, with mucho success, as I landed on my feet and opened Hakudoushi's door. I quickly unbuckled all his restraints and put him in my arms, gathering up his baby bag, full of his diapers, powder, the works. He clawed at my shirt with his little fingernails, but I bounced him slightly in my arms as I walked, saying, "No, Hakudoushi, you can't eat in front of friends. Maybe in front of your daddy." I jiggled the doorknob; Inuyasha's stupid ass had locked it. My fists trembled. I didn't want to have to resort to punching Sango's pretty door open, but goddamn it, I would. I absently took Haku's fingers in my mouth, sucking on his thumb instead of mine. That used to be a childhood habit of mine; probably why I had to get braces. He cracked a baby's smile, one I could never get enough of. I rubbed my nose against his, kissing at him. I shook my head, laughing as I withdrew from the distracting child. I bammed on the door, yelling, "Inuyasha, you better get your ass to this goddamned door and open it, _right now, right now, right motherfucking now_!!!!!" A thought came to mind: Shouldn't I be worried about cursing in front of Hakudoushi so early? When he grew up, wouldn't he consider it normal? What if a curse word was his _first _word? Three answers came subsequently: I should, but I don't care. So the hell what. That's cool with me. 

The doorknob wiggled again, on its own, and Miroku came to the door, grinning at me.

"Hello, Kagome. Hi there, Hakudoushi. What brings you to our humble abode?" Before I could say it, Sango said it for me, "Miroku! Get your ass out of that doorway and stop stalling! Kagome, Inuyasha's trying to hide from you!" I shoved Miroku out of the way and walked in the house.

"Now, Kagome-sama, don't...don't be rash..." Miroku said cautiously. I shot him a venomous look and he shut up. Sango came out, dragging Inuyasha by his collar. She pushed him in my direction and grabbed Miroku by his ear, pulling him away.

"C'mon—let's give 'em some privacy..."

"Ow, ow—but I wanna _see_!" he whined.

"It's our house—we can _hear_." When they were gone, I stared Inuyasha down. He met my gaze. Hakudoushi remained as clueless as possible.

"So. You're gonna keep it." He said gruffly. Instantly, my maternal protectiveness flared up, even though it was against my own mate.

"_Hakudoushi Kai'shiguru Higurashi is __**not **__an it_, Inuyasha, and I would appreciate you not calling him that!" I growled, feeling myself transform. Hakudoushi whimpered, little nose wrinkling.

Damn, Seimegami, cool your ass down! You're scaring Hakudoushi!

_Oops, sorry..._

I reformed to my human state, but Hakudoushi just began to cry. I instinctively plugged my left ear, since my right arm was busy holding the crying baby, and Inuyasha bottled his own sensitive dog ears, hissing. I listened, though, and Hakudoushi didn't wail hard, like I expected him to, but it was a soft cry, with tears nonetheless. Now, the wailing I could take, maybe, but this just killed me inside. Inuyasha blinked, slowly taking his fingers from his ears and stared at my child.

"Uhh..." he cleared his throat. I all but ignored him, rocking and cradling Hakudoushi. I kissed his forehead, his cheeks, _anything _to get him to stop crying in such a heartbreaking way. He hadn't cried since he was born, and that was worse than this. Inuyasha sniffed the air and grimaced. "I, uh, think the kid's sprung a leak...or smashed a septic." I smelled him lightly...and gagged. I said, "Here—hold him while I get the stuff ready." Inuyasha looked dumbfounded as I thrust Hakudoushi in his arms. I took from the silverish baby bag Haku's diaper changing blanket, a plain white diaper—I wasn't one for those stupid-ass cartoon shits, and neither was Haku—the baby powder...was I forgetting anything?

_Baby wipes_.

Right! And the box of baby wipes, too. Now for that baby! "C'mere, Haku-chan..." I reached out for him, but he just stared at me. I blinked and looked at Inuyasha. "Gimme Hakudoushi." Inuyasha held him out to me, yet he continued to stare. "Well, fine, you little traitor. Inuyasha, you change him."

"Say _what_?! I can't change no baby, especially one that ain't mine!" he refused.

"Oh, no? You're not going to change your mate's child?"

"Nope." I took a deep breath. It was obviously time to resort to drastic measures. I gently took Hakudoushi out of Inuyasha's hands and laid him on the blanket. I gave Inuyasha a hard look. He fidgeted a little, but didn't break my gaze. "Are you _sure_...?" I purred.

_Oh, you're evil_.

Why, thank you. It's comforting to know that I've perfected immorality to an art.

He gulped. I leaned in to kiss him deeply, my tongue raking against the roof of his mouth. He groaned, and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw his hands twitching uncontrollably. Finally, he pushed me away, then dipped me and gave me the extremest kiss I've ever gotten. Once we were both out of breath, he gasped, "_Damn_, I've missed you!"

"Oh, I missed you, too, Inuyasha..." I smiled.

"I'm so sorry. I'm an idiot, I know—and such a flippin' hypocrite, too. I was always getting on you for calling yourself a...well, you know, and I just went crazy for something that wasn't either of our faults."

"I'm...well, I can't really apologize for being myself—my former self, anyway, but I promise you, I _will _bear you a child." He smiled.

"Yeah. But until then, I'll treat Hakudoushi like my very own son." His soft weeping brought us back to reality, and we grinned sheepishly at each other.

"Would you like to change your son?" I smirked. He anime-sweatdropped.


	18. Chapter 18

FNC: People, I must say, I'm not sure how much I can stress this, but it's been annoying the hell right out of me for a while now. If you're going to read the fucking story, and you don't like it, don't fucking review! And if you find something wrong with it, then don't fucking leave a stupid-ass flame to piss me off and make bad things happen in future chapters! That fucks it up for the good people who actually do leave good reviews for me who want _good _things to happen! If you're confused as to what I'm talking about, just go to my reviews page. You'll know. Because this person left me the first flame I have received in a long while, and it really pissed me off, what it consisted of. Also, when you leave unneccessary flames, it discourages writers to do what they do to the best of their ability. Now, I'm not saying _I'm _gonna stop writing, because I'd go absolutely insane if I did, but I'm talking about other people who are kinda...not confident. I'm too pissed to remember the word. But anyway, you know what I'm trying to say here. And another thing! I can't stand people who don't even have the balls to have a hyperlinked name by their review when they've flamed someone! You know the ones I mean. I don't care whether you have a hyperlinked name or even an email address, but have something where I can either thank you for your encouraging words, or cuss you the hell out for flaming me for no apparent reason. Most of the people who have reviewed this story fall under the former category.

Anyway, I'm sorry for taking up time and space with my ranting. On with the story. Jeez...

* * *

Three months later and Inuyasha, Hakudoushi, and I were living a normal, happy life together. Thanks to the Internet, we found out a lot of fun things to try out with Hakudoushi. For instance, did you know that, if your baby is crying in the middle of the night in his crib, you can take him out and put him with you in your bed? I was like, What the fuck?! when I saw that! Of course, it's kinda awkward when he gets hungry after you go to sleep...I'm beginning to get used to waking up to the feeling of gums fruitlessly gnawing at my areola.

One day, on a nice Wednesday, Inuyasha was playing with Haku, while I was cooking breakfast.

"Y'know, Kagome..." Inuyasha said casually, on his back with Hakudoushi on his stomach. The baby was crawling all over him, chewing at his ears. "Hakudoushi's already three months old. Maybe we should consider teaching him a few things."

"Teaching? What are you talking about?" I said curiously, setting a plate of bacon, eggs, sausage, grits, and toast on the table, alongside a glass of orange juice. Inuyasha leered at the food and plucked Haku off him, carrying the baby to his high chair. He himself sat in his chair, licking his lips. I put down a bowl of key lime yogurt. Hakudoushi seemed to like that kind. I sat in a chair beside him, dipping his little rubbery red spoon into the bowl. He cooed laughingly, smashing his little palms together.

"Like...colors, numbers, that stuff."

"But Inuyasha, he can't even walk yet. We don't want to overload his brain."

"Yeah, but I want to get him smart. Like a child prodigy or something." Inuyasha suggested, chomping into his eggs. I grinned.

"We can "get him smart" when he's walking, Inuyasha." I said reassuringly, directing the spoon to Haku's mouth. He opened up widely and I fed him the yogurt. He gave me a gumming smile, mouth full of green yogurt. "Ew..." I smirked teasingly, eating a spoonful of the stuff myself. "Hey, this is pretty good."

"Jeez, Kagome, you might as well be drinking steak sauce from the bottle." I shifted my eyes.

_No, he doesn't know._

"Whew!" I sighed. Inuyasha laughed.

"Since you're feeding Doushi-kun, I'll wash the dishes this morning."

"Aw...you're so kind." I blew a kiss to him. He grinned cheekily. "Isn't your daddy nice, Hakudoushi?" I added, giving him another spoonful of yogurt. When it was in his mouth, he squealed and laughed, bits of green gunk flying everywhere. Shaking my head, I went to get a napkin. I dampened it and wiped both my and Hakudoushi's face. I was about to pick up the spoon to feed him some more, but he dunked his little hand in the bowl and smeared it on my face. I blinked, then leaned in close to his face, eye twitching. He cocked his head curiously as I gritted, "Listen here, little boy. I _just _wiped my face, and—" Out of nowhere, the cherub—can you see the sarcasm?--just licked my face. I stared at him.

"Inuyasha...?" I said uncertainly.

"Yeah?" he answered as he rinsed his plate and fork.

"What does it mean when our son licks my face?"

"...Uhh...that's...that's a canid trait, koishii."

"...What does this mean?"

"...I'm...not exactly sure, here...I think our son is...I don't know." I immediately delved into my memory.

Think, Seimegami, _think_! Did I ever transform during sex with Houjou?!

_...Uh...I don't...wait...Hell, I don't know!_

Think, damn you!!!!

_...Actually, I think you might have._

I looked at Hakudoushi analytically. I rubbed his ears to check for any distortion and gasped when I found that the tops of his ears were pointier. Inuyasha came beside me to inspect.

"His ears are more demonic..." I muttered.

"Uh...maybe he...well, maybe the demonic quality has to grow with him." Inuyasha said, shrugging. I wormed my finger in his mouth, feeling for the possible beginning of fangs. "A little too young to get fangs, ain't he?" When the tip of my index came upon a moderately carnassial surface.

"Apparently not..." A large smile spread across my face as Hakudoushi tried to lick my face again. I leaned in for him to. Hell, it's less expensive than paper towels, isn't it? "Inuyasha, I do believe our son can pose as yours after all."

I was sure that my eyes were currently taking on that swirly form with the dumb confused grin after Sango and Miroku stopped shaking me to death. They'd called us over because they had some "wonderful news" and, what with my and Inuyasha's ongoing nosiness, I buckled Hakudoushi in the baby carrier—the kind that you strap to your body; I found it on eBay!—and we dashed off.

* * *

Turns out that the "wonderful news" was that Kinamadare had said her first real, distinct word. 

Sango squealed in happiness once she'd told us. That, in turn, got Hakudoushi all excited and he started squealing too.

"Nothing but two big-ass babies." Inuyasha grinned affectionately, ruffling Hakudoushi's silvery hair.

"So what was the word?" I asked. At this, Sango and Miroku anime-sweatdropped.

"It...wasn't exactly the most conventional first word a baby could've said, but..." Miroku grinned, rubbing the nape of his neck.

"Pervert!" Kin-chan giggled, waddling over to me. I couldn't help myself—I busted out laughing. "Daddy pervert!"

"Oh, _damn_, Miroku!" Inuyasha snickered. "You know, you have to live with that." Hakudoushi blinked quizzically at the toddler, who gave him a grin made of small, newly developed yet few teeth. I put him down and he almost automatically flipped to his hands and knees. He crawled over to the girl, gumming at her fingers. She kneeled down and petted the puppylike boy.

"Aw!" Sango and I cried out at the adorable scene before us.

"If that isn't just the _cutest _thing you ever did see!" Miroku said proudly.

"Puppy boy," Kinamadare declared indistinctly. Hakudoushi emitted a growling laugh, which amused the girl to no end.

"You know, we should arrange something together with the kids." Inuyasha suggested.

"Nice idea—like a weekly Saturday outing, huh?"

"Yeah!" Sango nodded enthusiastically. "Maybe go to the zoo or something."

"The zoo. When was the last time I was there?" I muttered.

"Probably yesterday, what with all the demons running around Ryukyu." Miroku grinned. We all looked at him dryly.

"BOOO. Get your perverted ass off the stage." I gave a thumbs-down. "And anyway, going to the zoo for Hakudoushi would be redundant, as I discovered just this morning that he was fanging." I mentally congratulated myself for the coinage.

"Huh?"

"I don't get it. What's fanging?"

"The canid equivalent of teething. My little baby's getting fangies!" I squeaked happily. "He's getting more and doggish everyday! I'm considering buying him puppy cookies." Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha all anime-sweatdropped.

"Yup...you're weird, alright." Sango sighed, shaking her head.

* * *

Being that it was April, and sunny outside, Inuyasha and I decided to take Hakudoushi to the park for a bit of fresh air. I carried Hakudoushi on my front, as it was rather difficult for me to keep a maternal eye on him, but he hurt my chest by bouncing and sniffing uncontrollably. Inuyasha, sensing my discomfort, chuckled and unbuckled until Doushi-chan was now strapped to him. Whistling a jaunty tune and all but ignoring the snickers directed at him by the passing walkers, he actually seemed pretty damn proud to be carrying Hakudoushi. The infant in question was whining for some reason. Now, I _knew _his diaper wasn't rank, so what was it? I'd fed him already...Plus, he kept smelling something in the air, as I surmised, but I didn't know what he was smelling. 

"Inuyasha, do you smell anything?" I frowned.

"If you're referring to what the whelp keep nosing at, no." Hakudoushi slapped his hands atop his head as we reached the park.

"What, is he scared of the park or something?" I mumbled to myself. Haku cried out in despair when a drop of water hit his hand. I blinked as more water dropped from the sky onto us all, setting off an all-out rain shower. "Aw, shit—it's raining!"

"Actually, no, it's just drizzling, so neither you or Hakudoushi should worry about it." Inuyasha said, cocking his eyebrow at people running by with newspapers covering their heads. "Shit, if Haku could walk, I'd let him go around this place in his birthday suit." I laughed, remembering the night we mated.

"Well, it doesn't look like he much likes the rain. Let's head back home." I sighed, grimacing at my own matted hair. We all looked like a lost family of wet dogs. I tried not to laugh at the irony.

Hitting the sidewalks in the opposite direction we'd come, I heard Inuyasha chuckle at something. "What's funny?"

"Heh...the kid's trying to drink the water."

"Um...that's not good. He could be trying to drink acid rain!" I worried. Inuyasha rolled his eyes beside me.

"Jeez, Kagome, don't be such a worrywart. This boy's a demon; he'll live. And besides, this is _minami_ _daito-jima_. I don't think acid rain is much of a problem here. We're not in America, y'know."

"Well...it's polluted nevertheless!" I argued. "I mean, the whole water cycle is disgusting! All that factory excrement going out into the rivers and seas and whatever, and it-it evaporates, then it vaporizes into the liquid my son is licking off of himself!"

"...It's...really not all that, Kagome." Inuyasha anime-sweatdropped. "Not that serious. I think Hakudoushi will be fine. And besides, even if he does get sick, which is very unlikely, his internal demonic system will heal 'im up in no time. So just relax." I cast an uneasy glance Haku's way, who was currently holding his foot up to his mouth in a rather fruitful attempt to suck off the water. I sighed.

"Alright, alright...fine."

"Good. He's a kid; it's normal for him to have a strange fascination with weird stuffs."

* * *

I wasn't fully aware of how right Inuyasha was. During the consecutive two days after the rain incident, Hakudoushi seemed much more receptive to bath time rituals. Normally, he'd make a big fuss and throw blue suds at me, but now he was splashing and laughing. More than once, I had to stop him from _eating _the blue suds. 

"Stay riiiight here for Mommy, Haku-chan. I have to get your towel." I turned my head momentarily to retrieve the green towel hanging on the sink countertop. When I turned back, I was horrified to see Hakudoushi lower his head onto the water's surface. Heart about to leap out of my chest, I reached to take him out, but my terror quickly turned to shock as I realized that he wasn't drowning; he was actually _floating_. His face stuck out in the air and he laughed, obviously more delighted in his new discovery than I was at the time.

"Inuyaaaaashaaaa!!!!" I called, a slight waver in my voice. I was still scared. "Come in here and see your son!" At an obviously exaggerated pace, Inuyasha swanked in, drawling, "You rang, dearest?"

"This boy is—here, come look at him, he's actually _buoying_." Inuyasha scratched his head as he came towards the bathtub.

"What the hell...?" he muttered. "Is that boy floating?"

"I...think so." We exchanged strange glances, then looked at our son. He was burbling in the water, flailing his arms as if he were making a snow angel.

"Ahem..." Inuyasha cleared his throat. "I think our son is an _aquamaniac_."

"Is that a word?"

"It's my word, and it and Hakudoushi are one and the same. He's in love with water. He'll be a great swimmer!" Inuyasha laughed. "But...er...for the time being...maybe we should take 'im out now. 'Fore he prunes up."

"Right." I gathered him up in my hands, setting him on the towel and drying him off. I put on him a diaper and adorned him in his blue jammies. Since he seemed to immensely dislike the feet, I'd cut them out, and since he seemed to get hot at night, I shortened the sleeves and legs. Now he looked like he was really about to go swimming. "What time is it, Inuyasha?" He looked at his watch.

"7." Haku's bedtime was ten. Normal parents would be tucking him in, but I considered our family daytime naps part of the ten hours he needed to be healthy. The naps were two hours long, give or take an hour.

"Then it's time for me to make some dinner!" I trilled, handing the baby to Inuyasha and walking out, him in tow. I headed for the kitchen, taking out chuck roast and the necessary seasonings and the pan to broil it in. With it, I gathered the rice pot and a can of corn. As I prepared everything, I saw Inuyasha sit Hakudoushi on the furry floor in the living room and cut on the television. "Are you going somewhere, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah." He grunted. "I gotta go take a shower."

"One would think you had enough of those from today." I joked.

"Oh, yeah?" I sensed him come up behind me and felt him snake his arms around my waist. "Wanna go take it with me?" He nipped at my earlobe. I grinned, turning to face him and resting my palms on the countertop.

"But Inuyasha, I have to prepare your dinner." I said coyly, gesturing to the not-yet-spread ingredients.

"They're not doing anything. Besides..." He kissed and licked my neck, making me purr. "You _are _my dinner. Come here and let me eat you." He wormed his fingers up my shirt, taking a moment or three to corporeally appreciate my recent braless lifestyle with his hands before removing my shirt completely. He tossed it onto the table, eyebrows wiggling appreciatively.

"Don't you know it's unwise to be shirtless in the kitchen?" I giggled.

"Is it really? Then I'll be unwise with you." He ripped off his own tee, making me laugh. "If there's one thing about Hakudoushi I love in particular, it's that, because of him, you can't wear a bra." I merely rolled my eyes. He leaned in for a kiss, but had to stop a driblet away from my lips due to the interrupting sound of Hakudoushi's questioning gurgle. We turned away from each other to see him on his hands and knees in the doorway.

"He must be hungry. I'm sorry, Inuyasha—could you take over while I feed him?" I asked, already dashing to my son and scooping him up. I heard my mate sigh behind me and gave him an apologetic look. He looked so forlorn. I went over and gave him a kiss. "I'm sorry, again. I promise; I'll make it up to you later, okay? We can take that shower together." He nodded slowly, turning his back to me to ready the meat. Hakudoushi must've sensed our romantic distress, for he looked up at me from my breast which he'd already begun sucking from, with tenderheartedness in his pale blue eyes, both of which I noticed purpling. "It's not your fault, Kai'shiguru. Mommy and Daddy were just about to do what made you!"


	19. Chapter 19

FNC: I just wanna take this time out to thank all the people who supported me and helped me get through that awful flame and how it "hurt my feelings." Yeah, right. But anyway, thanks goes out to: BlackParade (luv ya, chica!), ArianAnimeluvr, and you-ma-cookie (luv ya, too, onna!). Also, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to AmberEyedGirL1826. She's _totally _awesome, you guys, you _have _to read her story, Show Me Love. Yes, I'm pimping her story! Read it!

By the time Hakudoushi's eyes completely turned a beautiful amethyst, reminiscent of Seimegami's own orbs, it was June, and he was five months. His ears had become pointed and elfish, like Seikami's, and his fangs had grown and were situated where regular cuspids would be. Putting it simply, he was turning into a real dog. I was so proud of him.

To hone his swimming skills—and because it was so godforsaken hot—Inuyasha bought a swimming pool, the bottom of it lined with bouncy inflatable PVC. In other words, the material used to make those air beds—y'know, the ones you blow up? Yeah. That was mostly for Hakudoushi. For a five month old, the boy was rather tall. That is, if you consider fifteen inches tall.

It was said that June the fifteenth was always the hottest time of the year. Apparently, rumors regarding extreme temperature turned out to be right, for it was unbelievably sulfurous today. Inuyasha and I were awakened to Hakudoushi's crying; he had ripped apart his pajamas because of the intense heat with developing claws and was sweating profusely. Truth be told, I was pretty damn hot myself. So I dressed Haku in a pair of those water-insoluble Pampers and put on a two-piece to get in the pool. Thanks to the automatic cool water jets the interior let off whenever temperatures got to eighty, it was going to be nice and cold. Seeing me in my half-naked state, Inuyasha decided to join us. "Make it a family thing," he'd said. Yeah right. Family my ass—he just wanted to cop an underwater feel. Heh! Little did he know, I couldn't swim worth two damns.

I carried Hakudoushi in my arms out to the swimming pool and placed him on the bench in the middle of the pool, relaxing on the PVC, as I was tall enough to do so. Hakudoushi lay flat on his back and let the water jets transport him. Inuyasha, as always, had to be a big ham-ass, and made a big deal of cannonballing into the damn pool! He splashed water all over me, the inconsiderate bastard, and Hakudoushi, too. The boy obviously didn't take it as seriously as I did, because he just laughed and slapped the water so that Inuyasha got hit with some too.

"So, it's a water fight, is it?" Inuyasha chuckled sinisterly, and dove underwater. Hakudoushi and I looked at each other. I sighed.

"Don't...don't even ask me, baby." Inuyasha rose back to the surface, a fat-ass Super Soaker in hand. "WHAT THE HELL?!?!"

"Haha! I always keep a weapon nearby!"

"Inuyasha, you idiot! That's your _son_, for god's sake!" I cried out. "How could you attack him in his weaponless state?! He's vulnerable! I'm on your team, Haku!" I waded over to him.

"Ah, for crying out loud—he's got a flippin' gun in his diaper, Kagome. Calm down." Inuyasha snickered. I blinked. Haku fished around his diaper for the source of obvious annoyance and withdrew a moderately-sized water gun. He was holding it with his whole hand on the gunstock. I corrected his finger, placing his index on the trigger and his thumb around the gunstock. I raised his hand to point it at Inuyasha and said sweetly, "Now, just pull your frontie finger, Haku." He looked up at me, confused. I squeezed his index for him and he squealed in joy when a burst of water hit Inuyasha, who laughed and shot back. "Wait, wait, damn! He hasn't even got the hold of—" Hakudoushi fired off rivulets of water from his gun in rapid succession _without _my physical assistance, all of them bludgeoning Inuyasha. He stood there, blinking his wide eyes in apparent shock. Doushi-chan almost fell over in his squealing laughter, shooting at Inuyasha in between laughs. "...it." Inuyasha pumped his Soaker fervently, growling, "So he's not got the hold of it, eh? I'll show you, squirt!" He aimed at Hakudoushi's head and, without warning or hesitation, blasted the small boy in the head. He let out a loud cry and sunk into the water.

"INUYASHA!" I screamed. The hanyou did nothing but laugh. My heart was killing me. "What have you _done_?!" Before I could puddle over and castrate him barehanded, Hakudoushi's head popped up about three feet away from where he'd sunken, and he raised the gun out of the heavy water and squirted it at Inuyasha. I clutched my rapidly palpitating heart, having had been terrified to death.

"Jeez, Kagome, didn't I tell you to calm down? I taught the boy how to swim ages ago!"

"Why didn't you tell me?!" I sobbed. "You could've saved me the heartache, you asshole!" Hakudoushi floated on his stomach now, paddling his arms and legs over to Inuyasha. Both of them pointed their guns at me.

"It doesn't even matter now. You better pick up a gun and shoot—or be shot!" Inuyasha declared, peeking through his plastic viewfinder. I growled, fumbling around for some kind of weapon. "Trust me, I've loaded the pool with all sorts of arms. At least five. There's even a Styrofoam tomahawk in there!"

"Ooh...really?" I grinned, my previous anger replaced with malevolent curiosity. My foot came upon the tomahawk and I withdrew it from the water, posing it above my head in a battle stance. "Wait, wait a minute," I added before they could shoot. "Inuyasha, don't you think that all this violence is immorally stimulating towards Hakudoushi's mental growth? He could become a gunslinger when he grows up!" There was silence for a moment, before both Inuyasha and I shrugged and commenced battle. Both shot at me, and I used the tomahawk as a shield. A crappy shield, given, but a shield nonetheless. When I could get close enough to them to harmlessly axe them in their heads, Haku got me right in the face. "Shit!" I laughed, accidentally dropping my weapon in the water. "Double shit!"

"You forgot something, Kagome!" Inuyasha reminded. I opened my eyes.

'Forgot what?"

"TRIPLE SHIT!!!" Inuyasha cackled, firing off an entire round at me, and even when I thought it was over, my son, my one and only son, betrayed me—he actually refilled his gun and shot me, ironically, in my heart.

"Hey, you!" I screeched. "You have to drink from there!" He gave me a defiant smirk, as if to say "So? Do something about it." And I was gonna do something about it alright. I waded over to the two, hands up as a sign of surrender. Inuyasha, however, apparently didn't trust this, and backed away as I approached the armed boy. He dropped his water gun as I picked him up and cradled his head to my bosom. Inuyasha gave an wide-mouthed grin.

"That is really dirty, Kagome." He chuckled, letting his own gun sink to the bottom.

"Yes, I know." I cackled, holding the baby at arm's length when he made a nip for my breast. "Ha! Ya little twerp! You gets no milk from Mama!" His lip trembled as every time he reached for me, I pulled away. The bad thing about it was, since I'd been in the swimming pool, I was basically bursting with fresh milk. He glanced up at me with those doughy, charismatic purple eyes of his. Damn kid _knew _what he was doing; exploiting my weakness, that's what! He was smart, alright; that he got from me _and _Houjou. I sighed and let go of him. "I will say this; he knows how to use what he's got to get what he wants."

"...So...he's a stripper?" I smacked my forehead.

"No, you dolt! He's making cutesy eyes at me!" I yelled.

"Oh. Huh. I thought you were saying he was a stripper."

"Why in the hell would I—" I was punctuated by a splash of water sent my way. I spluttered incoherently, looking around. The culprit was a happily laughing Hakudoushi. "Oh, it's funny, is it, you shrimp?! Let's see how funny it is when you get a dose of your own—" _Splash! _... "...medicine. Okay, that's it!" I slapped the water forcefully, spraying it all over both Inuyasha and Hakudoushi. "Ha! Laugh at _that_, you devious little...thing!"

"Oi! Whose thing is _little_?!" Inuyasha protested, smacking water at me. Hakudoushi's head briefly disappeared under the water before he came up behind me, tomahawk in hand. He bashed me in the head with it, the water thickening the hatchet so it actually kinda hurt.

"Yeow!" I screeched, making Hakudoushi hoot in response.

"AMBUSH!" Inuyasha battle-cried, and the two pelted me with heavy splashes and axes to the head, respectively.

"Both of you are traitors!" I whimpered. "GYAAA!" I shrieked, dodging a particularly heavy blow from Hakudoushi.

* * *

"Today, June Monday 18th, I declare we begin an intense training regimen!" Inuyasha bellowed out a few days afterward, out of the blue. Hakudoushi was feeding, and I was lazily watching television again. Both of us stared at him blandly. 

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You, me, and the boy are gonna start exercising." My eye twitched.

"What the hell is this, Call Kagome Fat year?!" I accused. He anime-sweatdropped.

"No, Kagome. I'm just saying, we've been getting a bit lazy."

"So it's not enough that I cook, clean, and feed around here, is it?! I'm _lazy _now, am I?!" He smacked his forehead. Hakudoushi chuckled.

"Kagome, I love you, but...shut up. You're overreacting, alright? I'm just _saying_...! Maybe we oughta hit the gym...for a few months or so."

"That sounded no better!" I exclaimed.

"I don't care! We're going to the gym and that's that!"

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?!"

"I'm supposed to be your mate!"

"Yeah, the one who hid from me for four days 'cause he was too much of a punk-ass idiot to help take care of Hakudoushi?" He glared at me.

"Haven't you been saying for the past three weeks, "Oh, I'm so fat, I need to hit the gym," or the ever-popular, "Where the hell did this thing come from? Oh, damn, that's my stomach!" I harrumphed.

"Look, I just had a baby; I have the right to say such things. So _nyeh_!" I stuck out my tongue.

"Kagome, act your age, not Hakudoushi's." He sighed.

"Oh, _fine_. I'll go." I rolled my eyes, and plucked Haku away from my breast. "Come on, Kai'shiguru; let's go pick out Mommy some exercise clothes, as Daddy thinks she's too fat to even haul her ass off to the gym." I ignored whatever was said after that. In my room, I took from my drawer three tops: a white polo, tee, and tank, and set them all in a row on the edge of the bed. I set Hakudoushi down behind of them and kneeled down at his eye level. I smiled. "Okay, Hakudoushi. You were smart enough to basically learn how to swim. You can knock the shit out of your mother with a Styrofoam tomahawk. My question to you now is: Can you pick the best shirt for exercising?" His quizzical yet blank gaze alternated between me and the shirts, finally settling on me in a "What in the hell are you talking about?" way. "Oh, come on, Hakudoushi! I know you know what I'm saying to you!" He blinked, slowly looking back down at the shirt. He looked at all three analytically, then slammed his hand down on the tank top, picking it up and waving it in the air. I grinned. "I think we have a winner. And look—you've already waved it in the air, so I don't have to!" He laughed in response to my playfully happy aura. "Right. And now: pants. Should I wear the sweats, the long, yet kinda tight pants, or the _shorts_?" Almost immediately, he snatched the black short pants out of my right hand. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I'm trying to lose weight, not sweat to _death_." I came out of my current, rather housewifely clothes: pajamas. Hell, I saw no reason to change clothes when I wasn't going any-damn-where! Before I put on my shirt, I frowned at the imbricate fat I possessed. Seriously, if I looked straight down, breathing normally, I could see my stomach before my breasts. Now _that's _disgusting. I quickly slipped on the shirt, as if I were hiding the nasty fat. I think that, subconsciously, I was. Hakudoushi clapped his hands together, squealing. I mock-glared at him, saying, "You don't like the fat either, huh...?" I slid on the shorts, finding it a bit difficult to do so, for my ass had gotten a substantial amount bigger than the size it used to be after I'd had Haku. "You know what, you little thing? My butt is too big because of _you_!" I could've sworn I saw him roll his eyes. It was like he'd said, "Yeah, right, bitch, and your tits are oversized 'cause of me, too, right?" Well, it's what I would've said. And I'm his ma.

I picked him up after putting back the other clothes and waddled my fat ass out. Inuyasha stood in the living room, hopping his hyperactive ass all over the place in a wifebeater and a pair of cargo shorts.

"You see that guy?" I said to Hakudoushi. "He's the same guy who's not getting any if he keeping rubbing his fitness in my tubby face." Inuyasha chuckled as he halted his movement and made his way over to me. Taking Hakudoushi out of my hands, he grinned, "Tubby face or no, I still love you." He reached out to kiss my cheek.

"Hm." I grunted. "Can we go now? The car won't be too hot if we—"

"Car?"

"..." I stared at him. "Yes...the _car_. C-A-R. The thing with four wheels that goes "vroom, vroom" when you step on a big rectangular button, then goes _screech! _when you step on the adjacent button. Sometimes, if you step on the "vroom, vroom" button for too long, you end up getting a piece of paper that could determine the next five to ten years of your life." He looked at me dryly.

"We're not taking the car, Kagome."

"Why not?!?!" I whined, having known he would say it, but hoped he wouldn't.

"Because."

"But it's _hot_!" I complained. "Hakudoushi will monkey in that damn heat, and I'll _be _damned if my baby gets heat stroke because of your dumb ass!"

"He won't get heat stroke, because we're running!" He declared brightly. Hakudoushi and I stared at each other. Haku made a gurgling sound that sounded like "His ass must be joking. I'm not monkeying in no heat."

"Yeah, baby, I think he's joking too. Don't worry; you won't monkey—'cause we are taking the car, and then we can see who gets there first—Walky McUnnecessarily WalkWalk, or us two!" I giggled, picking him up and getting my car keys out of the kitchen drawer. Inuyasha cast me a deadpan look.

"...Girl, if you don't put those keys down—"

* * *

"Since when has walking been so goddamned difficult?!" I groaned as I trod into the athletic facility, almost ready to collapse. Inuyasha was in tow, carrying Hakudoushi, and once he closed the door on the hot-ass air outside, the much cooler air hit me in the face. It reminded me of when I was in those fights with my college rival. Normally, it would be high school, but...yeah. That bitch got her ass beat on a daily basis, but she did manage to get licks in every now and then, I'll admit. 

"Oh, come on, Kagome." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Hakudoushi took the heat better than you did. Look at 'im—the kid's _laughing_, for Kami's sake!"

"And speaking of _Kami_...more specifically, _Megami_..." I ground out. "I was relying on _somebody _to come through with the demon powers and the extra strength and the stamina and whatnot, but what do I get? Bupkis!" Hakudoushi cackled.

_Jeez, even demons get tired._

But you're not only a demon—you're a _goddess_, goddamn it!

_Exactly._

...Wait, huh?! J—just—can I just transform, _please_?! I think I'm gonna fall out for dead!

_Alright, alright...if you must be such a pansy ass. But you'll still be fat._

"If I ever get my hands on you...!" I growled, wringing my hands threateningly. I felt my metabolism speed up in a heartbeat, and grinned. Inuyasha and Hakudoushi looked at each other, then back at me.

"Uh...Kagome?"

"Damn! I feel brand-new! Let's go hit those, uh...(snaps fingers) whaddaya call 'ems...windmills?" Inuyasha snickered.

"_Tread_mills, Kagome."

"Whatever the hell. C'mon!" I grabbed Hakudoushi and sprinted over to the watermill. I darted my eyes to check if anyone was looking. Must've been the ghosts, 'cause there wasn't a damn soul in here. 'Cept for a few obvious exercise buffs, but they were all up in the weight-lifting section. We had these things all to ourselves.

I placed Hakudoushi on the belt and started it at a slow pace. Hakudoushi cocked his head curiously as he began to move towards the end of the belt. He then laughed and clapped his hands, like it was a ride. I hurriedly placed him back at the front of the belt on his stomach.

"Crawl, boy, crawl! Damn!" But all he did was repeat his former actions, now adding the banging of his toes onto the belt. "GAH! Uh...pretend it's Daddy's stomach!" He looked up at my pleading face, only inches away from the end. Then he grinned, as if to say, "Well, jeez, why didn't you just say that to begin with? Coulda saved me all this trouble!" before getting on his hands and knees and crawling up to the start of the belt. He happily climbed the treadmill, of course not going anywhere, but unwittingly getting some substantial exercise.

"And now it's _your _turn." Inuyasha reminded me from the ceiling. I blinked, looking over and up at him. He was looking like Deuce Bigelow—that is, before he fucked up Antoine's goldfish tank—and was doing toe-touches. Needless to say, he has never looked sexier.

I laughed. "And this comes from the ceiling monkey, does it?"

"Yes! The almighty monkey overlord commands it of you!" He said majestically. I made my way over to him, the front of his head dangling right in his face. He gave me an upside-down grin. "He also commands...that you, uh, give 'im a kiss."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I wouldn't want to be hit with poo, so I'd best comply..." He laughed, and I covered his mouth with mine, engaging him in a kiss that sent the blood rushing to my own head. A giggle from Hakudoushi's direction somewhere behind me interrupted, and I turned, grinning insanely. "Looks like Hakudoushi's having fun on the—WHAT THE FUCK?!?!" I shrieked. My baby was swinging like the king of the motherfucking jungle on the damn punching bag. I slapped my forehead, shaking my head with a sigh as Inuyasha merely laughed. "Oh, shut up." I elbowed him in the gut, making him grunt and the bars unclasped from his ankles. He clattered to the ground.

* * *

He's referring to the line of one of the strippers at the end of "The Player's Club." If you've seen it, you know what I mean. Ebony was working in the shoe store, and she was trying to help these two smart-ass strippers who claimed that they weren't strippers; they just "use what they got to get what they want." Just clearing that up in case you didn't understand. 


	20. Chapter 20

In only a few short months, I was back to my normal figure. Thanks to modern over-the-counters, my stretch marks were invisible, so long as I applied the medicine every eight hours. I didn't even look like a mother! ...Well, that is, if you didn't look at how much alike Hakudoushi and Seimegami looked, but that's beside the point. Despite this, I still went to the gym three days a week, to keep up that frame up. Today, it was Wednesday the sixth, a week and four days before my birthday. As soon as the month had started, I'd warned Inuyasha and Jakoutsu not to do that forgetful shit again this year. They just laughed.

Hakudoushi wasn't with me today. Sango was taking him and Kinamadare to the circus. _Yawn_. Carnivals were more my thing. So it was just me and Inuyasha.

I was running double time on the treadmill, ignoring the pain in my left leg. I was going for a record—2.5 miles in 10 minutes or less.

"C'mon, Kagome, you got it, you got it!" Inuyasha urged, fists clenched. And he was right, damn it! I _did _have it! I was on 2.4, and had a minute to go. "Want some water?" I held out my hand soundlessly, intent on breaking my previous record. He made to hand me the bottle, but when I reached for it, he dangled it out of my reach.

"Wha...?" I snatched at it, but he merely hung it in front of my face. I then saw what he was doing, smirking as I sped up, as if I were running for the water..

"Half a minute, .05 miles left...!" He hooted. I finally grabbed the bottle from him and threw up my arms in triumph.

"HA-_HA_!" The victorious cry turned into one of surprise when I fell off the damn treadmill. I lay on the thankfully carpeted floor on my ass, groaning. Everybody around me laughed. "Fuck you _all_." Inuyasha kneeled down, grinning toothily at me.

"Boy, Kagome. I always figured you were clumsy, but...even I knew that was a dumb move."

"If my ass didn't hurt, I'd get up and fuck you up."

"Ooh, in public, eh?" he winked.

"Motherfucker..." He chuckled.

"I'm going to get another bottle of water. Don't move, okay?" As he walked off, I yelled, "Oh, yeah, like I could! Frigging..." I grunted as I attempted to get up. A warm hand took mine and helped me up. I blinked as I looked at the familiar face. He smiled.

"Kagome. Long time, no see, huh?"

"..." I was speechless. Literally. But then again, it was always that way when I was around Juun'rai. Let me explain...

Back in my college days, before I was a little whore, Juun'rai was the first man to approach me. Of course, I couldn't forget about Inuyasha, but Juun'rai was just...everything I ever wanted in a man. Hot as hell, great body, money, smarts, personality...and did I mention he was hot as hell? He was the first to fall in love with me, and, well, how can you not love somebody who loves you? So I fell for him, almost as hard as I'd fallen for Inuyasha. The latter was pushed to the back of my mind and was replaced with Juun'rai. Until that fateful day when he had to leave for Australia to become a singer. I was sad...for about four days, then I moved on. But I never forgot that guy.

So now here he was, in the flesh, after, like five years. I wasn't sure of how to feel, because I had a mate and a child, but...

Seimegami, what do you think?

_I know one thing: I want no part of this. I'm lying dormant until this blows over._

...Stupid goddess. ... There was no reply. Yikes. Guess she really was lying dormant...how dare she leave me to solve this by myself when I'm mentally unstable?!

"Uh, earth to Kagome?" He waved his hand in my face, breaking my train of thought. I shook my head rapidly, chuckling nervously and _blushing_.

"Oh, sorry...Juun'rai. Uh, how h-have you been?"

"Pretty good. I decided to come back here, see how everybody is."

"Yeah...yeah...that's, um...so! How's the singing...thing...going?" I mentally smacked myself upside the head. Nice one, genius. Great question!

He chuckled. "It's pretty good. Actually, I'm having a concert here on...the sixteenth." Eep! Right before my birthday. "I wanted you to go, because I knew that your birthday was the day before then." Aww...that was so sweet of him to remember. My motor functions kicked in there, and I giggled.

"I'm surprised you remembered. Small-town folk like myself don't get much of that around here."

"Heh. How could I forget you, Kagome?" He brushed his fingertip against my cheek. I fought the urge to shudder. He still had the same effect on me now as he did back in college. "Consider it an early birthday present." I lowered my head slightly, a lazy smile on my face.

"Thanks, Juun."

"So can you make it?"

"Uh...I'll have to check my calendar, but...y'know. I might be able to make it."

"Oh, that's great." He beamed. Wow. He seemed genuinely happy. "I'm glad, 'cause then these would've went to waste." He pulled out two tickets from his pocket.

"Ooh..." I murmured as I received them. Both were front row, but one was a backstage pass. You could tell 'cause it was on a chain. With a wink, he explained, "That one's for you. You can come see me, so we can catch up on old times."

"As friends," I added, to make sure he didn't still think that we were...you know. Surely, things were bound to change!

"Right. As friends." He nodded. "So I'll see you later, 'kay?"

"Yeah." As he walked away, I called, "Try to put a shirt on next time, too!" He laughed, calling back, "So long as you try not to bust your ass on the treadmill next time." I spluttered incoherently, obviously embarrassed. As if on cue, Inuyasha came back, water bottle in hand. He cocked his head.

"What's eating you? You still pissed about the treadmill?"

"_No_." I put my hand—the hand holding the tickets—on my hip, discreetly slipping them in my back pocket. Luckily, Inuyasha didn't see me. He chuckled, putting his arm around my shoulders and walking me out.

"Whatever you say, babe. Whatever the hell you say."

* * *

Later, I left—by myself—for Sango's to pick up Hakudoushi. I had to tell her about the tickets...well, that, and ask her advice about Juun'rai. Since _somebody _doesn't want to help me...! 

_It's not like you'll listen to me anyway! You're just as thickheaded as Inuyasha!_

Hey, he's technically your mate, too.

_Well, you—...shut up._

That's what I thought. I arrived at my buddy's house at, like, four, and knocked on the door. To my surprise, Kinamadare, atop Hakudoushi's back since she was too short, answered. I blinked, a confused smile upon my face. She looked like she had to tip-toe just to reach the knob.

"Um...hi, Kin-chan." I wiggled my fingers. She gave me a toothy grin. I picked her up off of my son's back, not knowing either possessed the physical or mental capabilities to pull off the stunt. Knowing Miroku, he probably had encouraged it.

"Hi, K'gome." She greeted.

"Where's your mommy?"

"Ma-ma!"

"Yeah. Where is she?" She looked at me funny. I closed the door behind me as I walked in. Sango herself made an appearance in the living room, smiling at me.

"Hi, Kagome."

"Never mind."

"Come to get Haku?"

"Yes, but just not yet. Got a few things to talk about to you."

"Ta'bout to." Kinamadare recited. I put her down.

"Here, Murasaki, you and Hakudoushi play with this." Sango handed her a huge-ass inflatable mallet and gave another to my son. The two ran off to play. Sango led me to the couch, where we sat down and looked at the television for a few. I saw an advertisement for Juun'rai's concert next week. I buried my face in my palms.

"Oh, _God_. What have I done?"

"Huh? What's the concert have to do with you?"

"Nothing."

"Hmm. Damn, I wanna go that thing so bad!" Sango sighed.

"Here." I sat up so as to withdraw Sango's ticket from my back pocket. She stared at me, slowly taking it.

"What...the...hell...?"

"Juun gave 'em to me."

"You—what the hell—you _know _Juun'rai Sanenzin?! Personally?!"

"I _so _wish I didn't."

"You'd be the only female in Japan I know who does."

"Well, I do. And have done things with him that you rabid fangirls have only dreamt of." Her eyebrow ticked.

"Okay, you're gonna have to explain things to me now." And so I did. Told her about how we fell in love, he went away, and how his sudden reappearance reawakened feelings inside of me that I thought were long buried. Also, I brought up how those same feelings clashed with my current state, i.e. demonically married and with a child. I loved Inuyasha with all my heart and soul, but part of me would always love Juun, too. By the way he acted towards me earlier, he obviously loved me, too.

"So what do I do?" I whined once I was done.

"...I say we go to the concert."

"Wh—Sango, have you not been listening to me?!"

"Yeah, I been listening! And I say, if you got enough sense not to cheat on Inuyasha, then you can go to that concert without worrying about Juun'rai fucking your brains out."

"But I can't help but fear that my nymphomaniacal ways will cloud my better judgement and I will fall into the inadvertent trap Juun'rai has been laying since we met: the trap...of _charm_."

"Yep...you're pretty right about that. If there's anything Juun'rai Sanenzin is, it's charming." Sango nodded, agreeing.

"And that same siren song is gonna get me in trouble, I just _know _it!" I sniffled miserably. "Inuyasha's been trying since before we mated, to see the good in me, to look beyond the nymphomania, and I just know that if I go to Juun's concert, I'll betray his trust in me."

"Well, Kagome...all I can say is this. Juun'rai will be expecting you there. You owe it to him to at least go. Just go, enjoy the music, and as soon as the concert's over, we'll haul ass. Don't even have to look at him." I gave her a funny look.

"We're _center stage_, _first row_, Sango. How the _hell _do you expect me not to look at him?! And what's worse is, Juun'rai is the interactive type. He will no doubt step his cute ass off the stage and come up in _my _face."

"Kagome, you're worrying over what could possibly be nothing. I'm telling you, everything will be fine. What could go wrong?" I gave her a pathetic look. She had apparently never seen Fairly OddParents...

* * *

FNC: Sorry for the uncharacteristic shortness of this chapter, guys, but I didn't want to go on to the concert just yet. This was more of a filler. I'll try to lessen the angst and drama in the next chapter, but...not making any promises. If you didn't figure it out already, yes, they are going to the concert. Let the possibilities wander through your minds as you review! 


	21. Chapter 21

You've waited, and waited, and waited some more! Well, it's time to read! Oh, and for those who thought I was just gonna jump right to the concert? THINK AGAIN!

WARNING! THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER I HAVE EVER WRITTEN IN MY LIFE! IT'S OVER TWENTY PAGES! If you don't like long chapters, I suggest you turn back now. Or, if you read this one and got mad and impatient, I suggest you write a review telling me to break it in half.

I was pretty much on edge for the rest of the following week. For once in my life, I was actually dreading my birthday. Every time somebody tapped me on the shoulder, I tended to jump and be all edgy. So, to ease my obvious discomfort, on Thursday Inuyasha suggested we—that is, he, I, and Hakudoushi—go to the carnival this Saturday. That cheered me up like nothing else could. However, my high temporarily came crashing down over me when Inuyasha sat me down after I'd put Hakudoushi down for a nap. He looked me in my eye, which made me extremely uncomfortable.

"Kagome, what's wrong with you?" Oh, god_damn _it. I swear to—I _hate _when he tries to be all analytic!

"Why, nothing's wrong with me, Inuyasha. Well, if that's all—" I made to get up, but he gently grabbed my wrist and sat me back down.

"No, something's wrong with you. We've been through this before, Kagome. I told you, anything bothering you is bothering me." He quirked his eyebrow. "Does this have anything to do with the concert you and Sango are going to?"

"What?! What—how did you—"

"Miroku. You'd be surprised how much he tells you under threat of castration. Now, I know that Juun'rai Sanzenin is your ex-boyfriend or whatever." Oh, my God...is he going to stop me from going? Please, God, let him say it...I really don't want to go...and if he says no, I'll have an excuse not to go... "I understand your mental predicament, and I want you to know that I love you and trust you. So you can go if you want to." I blinked at him.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I think I misheard you. Did you—did you say I could go?"

"Uh-huh. Trust and believe, it's really killing me inside to do it, and I really don't want you to go—" You wouldn't be the only one, buddy... "--but it's the right thing to do. I don't want to prohibit you from doing something you want to do and have you hate me."

"Oh, no, I wouldn't hate you!" I quickly amended. "If you don't want me to go, then I won't go. It's fine."

"No, it's not. You should go."

"Are...are you sure?" I said weakly, hoping and praying to the Good Lord above that he would change his mind suddenly and forbid my going.

"Yep. Completely sure." I sighed, mustering a feeble smile.

"Uh...I don't know what to say here..." I said truthfully. He embraced me tightly, murmuring in my ear, "You don't have to say anything. Just...please, try to respect my trust." I gulped quietly. God help me that I did...

——————

Finally came Saturday, after two agonizingly long days. As soon as I woke up, I wanted to get Haku and haul ass, but Inuyasha reminded me that we weren't leaving until five that evening. I was royally disgruntled, but sagged off to take my shower anyway.

Afterwards, I felt much more refreshed, and seeing as it was only eight in the morning and I didn't feel like cooking or having ramen, I decided that we could all head for WacDnalds for some breakfast. Hakudoushi was suckling less and less, and had taken to swiping food from my or Inuyasha's plate. I hadn't expected him to be eating solids so soon, but it made things for us much easier. It also marked the beginning of the end of the yummy baby food Hakudoushi ate, much to my dismay. But then again, as was said in the song "No Pain, No Gain," in order to get something, you gotta give something.

In addition to this, Hakudoushi was becoming a bit too big for his crib. The boy was already abnormally lanky, and was even developing a little muscle. It almost scared me. I did know one thing, though—I for damn sure couldn't be carrying his big ass anymore. So, after we'd all eaten a bite of fast-food, we headed to the local kaguya to see what they had in stock there. (Fun fact: "Kaguya" actually means, in its entirety, "furniture store" or "furniture dealer." For those who've seen the second Inuyasha movie, I'm sure you'll get a kick out of that. I sure as hell did...) As we walked in, we were met with a rush of cool air. I sighed happily. Hakudoushi babbled incoherently, something that I took as "I know just how you feel, Ma."

"If there's one thing I love about stores, it's that they're nice and cool." I commented, looking around at all of the beds and shelves and chests of drawers.

"Yeah, well, we're not here for the atmosphere. Just here for a quickie bed."

"A quickie bed?" I purred, gently running my fingers down his back. He shivered, chuckling amorously.

"For the kid, woman. When we have a quickie, we don't need a bed." He chuckled.

"Ooh...touché." I smirked. There are times like that that remind me of how lucky I am to have a mate like him.

_And how stupid you'd be to betray his trust._

Now, of all times...!

Some sales guy came bounding up to us, a huge grin plastered on his face. Inuyasha and I exchanged looks.

"Why, h-h-hello there!" Hakudoushi blinked, like "What the fuck?" "My name is Mr. Kanzejima. How may I help you..._ma'am_?" My son and Inuyasha cleared his throat, as if to say "Apparently, you can't count very well." Kanzejima ignored this and continued to beam, more specifically at me. I yawned, bored already. Inuyasha noticed the ocular interest he took in me and reacted by draping his arm around my shoulders. Kanzejima's lips fell, but his teeth remained in place, making a nasty grimace.

"_We_ would like a suitable bed for _our _son. If you please." I smirked.

"Ah. I see. Well, then. How old is your son?" he said tightly.

"About 8 months." Inuyasha answered. Kanzejima got a strange look on his face.

"Uh...how _tall _is he?"

"Fifteen inches." Hakudoushi laughed.

"Right...step this way." We started after him, but there was a tap on my shoulder. I stopped in my tracks and looked behind me. There was nothing but a bureau. I looked around strangely. Inuyasha called, "Coming, Kagome?"

"Er...I'm gonna hang back for a little. Try to worm some gumballs out of the machine." Inuyasha shrugged and went on. I turned completely around and was more than surprised to see Juun'rai step partially from behind the chest of drawers, a closed-eyed grin on his face. "Juun'rai?! What the hell are you doing here?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Have you been following me?" He chuckled.

"Of course not. Though I'm surprised the paparazzi hasn't been tailing you. You have the qualifications of a model—without the anorexia." Both of us laughed.

"That wasn't very nice, with regards to supermodels." I grinned.

"Yeah, I know." He smiled. There was a mildly comfortable silence between us—until he said, "So...that's your boyfriend?"

"Mate, actually." I smiled, turning down my collar to reveal the mark Inuyasha had laid upon me.

"And that's your son."

"Technically, just mine. Not Inuyasha's."

"Oh?"

"Yeah..." I sighed. "I wish it were his, though...it pretty much broke his heart when he was born."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He said seriously. That was why I liked Juun'rai. He didn't know how to be jealous or angry. It was like he didn't even possess any negative emotions or something. "For both of you."

"Yeah, but it can't be helped. He loves Hakudoushi like his own son, regardless."

"He looks like he does. You said his name was Inuyasha?"

"Indirectly so."

"Cool name. And your son's name is Hakudoushi?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm. Did you tell Inuyasha about the concert?"

"Technically, no. My friend's boyfriend, also _his _friend, told him about it 'cause he's nosy."

"Inuyasha or his friend?"

"Pretty much both." Juun'rai nodded, then paused.

"Let me let you get back to 'im. He's probably wondering whether you've busted the machine wide open or something." We both smiled. That was Inuyasha's nature. Though, I was kinda surprised at Juun. He didn't say anything regarding rekindling our former relationship. Maybe he's...forgotten us? I was filled with a mix of hurt and relief. I made to turn around, but he grabbed me around my waist and engulfed me in the deepest—yet somehow, tantalizingly brief—kiss I had ever received. My eyes widened.

_Ohhh...you are __**so **__getting taken down._

But-but I didn't—Juun'rai—Seimegami, you gotta help me! Conceal Juun'rai's scent on me, please!

_Huh! What makes you think I should help you?_

But none of this is even my fault! I told this guy I had a mate _and _a son, and he's still Frenching me!

_...Oh, yeah. Yeah, that about wraps it up. Okay, I gotcha._

Finally, Juun'rai broke away from me, wiping his lips and winking at me before darting off somewhere. I stood there, bewildered, until Inuyasha peered behind the dresser, looking at me. Seimegami quickly masked Juun'rai's scent.

"Hey, what're you doing back here?"

"Uh...I...I think I lost a gumball around here somewhere..." I muttered, pretending to search the white carpet for a gumball.

_Maybe a couple marbles, too._

Shut up...! I hissed mentally. "Oops. Damn. That thing's gone for good. Well, that's a fifth of a quarter gone to good waste, huh? Hehe..." I chuckled decrepitly. He gave me a weird look.

"Yeah. Anyway...I think Haku's chosen his bed. Come and check it out; see if you like it." He took my hand and I followed him to my son. However, my mind wasn't exactly on Hakudoushi's new bed, or even the boy himself. I was more preoccupied with the lingering taste of Winterfresh gum...

——————

Thanks to the grace of God, five o'clock came much faster than I'd expected. Since the carnival was all the way across town, even in my car, we didn't get there until six. It was cool, though, because we got to enjoy the neon lighting of the rides. Inuyasha and I grinned at each other.

"So...what should we do first?" I asked simplistically. Suddenly, Hakudoushi began jumping up and down and pointing to something. I looked in the direction of his finger.

It was a huge inflatable slide. You had to climb a frigging tall-ass, probably ten-foot-tall ladder to get to the top, and when you did, you slid down one of the spiraling chutes and come out on a bouncy pad. There was a tunnel that it connected to, and also a three-step. Truth be told, it looked fun. We took Hakudoushi over to it. Since I was afraid of heights, Inuyasha carried him on his back up to the three adjacent chutes. He squealed as he went down the middlemost, followed by six other kids. Inuyasha climbed back down the ladder and we waited with some other people until Hakudoushi flew out of the slide to land on the pad. An attendant came out of the tunnel and announced, "Through this tunnel is the carnival's daycare, where your child may be kept for a predetermined amount of time. The doorway is right to your right." All heads turned stage right to confirm her words. Hakudoushi looked at us, we back at him. I made my way onto the pad, and told the woman, "I want to keep my child—Hakudoushi, that's the lanky one staring at the white-haired man—in the daycare, please."

"Alright, then." She smiled, and I called Haku over. He waddled on the PVC to the attendant and grinned widely. More parents began copying me, and I left Hakudoushi with the woman as I went back to my mate.

"C'mon. Let's go on something else." I said, hooking our arms. So we began walking around in search of a good ride.

"Ooh, how 'bout the Swinging Ship?" He smiled toothily. I grimaced.

"How 'bout hell no?"

"Aw, c'mon, Kagome, it's fun."

"Well, _you _can go on it. I'm gonna go get some popcorn or something."

"Okay. I'll meet you at...oh, how about the drop?"

"So long as we're just _meeting _there." He laughed, and we parted ways. I looked around for the popcorn stand—and my eyes widened when I saw the Tunnel of Love. I dashed over to the ride.

"I've always wanted to go on this thing...but I was never with anyone seriously enough to even come to the carnival with. Huh. Guess I'll just go it alone." I waited for one of the blue swan boats to float up, and when it did, the man steering it had on a huge, sombrero-like hat and had on an ugly rubber mask. I giggled as he stopped.

"Care to come aboard, ma'am?" a familiar voice grinned. I blinked.

"J...Juun?! Didn't I just see you today?!"

"Yeah."

"So what are you doing here?!"

"Shhh...come on the boat and I'll explain. I don't want to risk being found out." Confusion clouded my mind, but I allowed him to help me on the boat anyway. He placed his oar in two clamps on the side of the boat to hold it in place. "The rowing is just for special effect. The boats are all on a conveyor." He sat down beside me, removing his mask and hat and placing them on the boat's floor. "Whew!" He sighed, shaking his head. "You wouldn't believe how hard it is to breathe in those things."

"Okay...get to explaining. Because with all these frequent appearances of yours, I'm beginning to think you really are following me."

"I know, and it's really weird. You see, my cousin, Shippou, normally does this boat, but he was feeling sick, so I volunteered to fill in for him this weekend." The boat slowly crept into steadily darkening atmosphere, and soon it was completely black, except for the neon pink hearts that popped up one after the other in varied places. Juun'rai lowered his lips to my neck, kissing and sucking at the spot Inuyasha had only recently mastered--the one right below my ear. I released a shuddering moan, gripping with my right hand the edge of the boat and with my left hand...an appendage I'd rather not have touched. And much to my complete and utter misery, an appendage rather...well, _jumpy_, if you know what I mean... "It must be fate that keeps bringing us together like this, Kagome." Something had told me not to wear a dress before I even _came _here, because my choice in clothing was definitely working against me at present. Bad thing about it—it was one of the dresses I'd kept before Inuyasha and I hooked up. Translation: I was now in full slut mode, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. Juun's hand made its way right up my dress and I gasped.

_...Oh, you are so gonna get it now. Now, you're not even trying to push him away._

Well, what the hell do you expect me to do?!

_I __**expect **__you to tell him to back the hell off, and that you have a mate and child!_

HE ALREADY KNOWS THAT, GENIUS-ASS!

_...Oh, yeah. Well, either way, y'know, you're fucked up._

I forced myself to stop thinking with my loins and pushed both Juun's head and hand away from me. We had now come into the lighter section of the tunnel—that is, if you consider pink and red and blue "light." His face showed mild confusion, but no hurt.

"Kagome, what's wrong?"

"What's...what's _wrong_? You can't be serious. Juun'rai, I'm with Inuyasha. I have a son now. I'm not the same as I used to be back then. I mean...of course, I still love you, but I can't be with you." He blinked, then his forehead creased, like he was thinking about something. What in the hell could he possibly be thinking about?!

"Huh. So...you're saying if Inuyasha weren't your mate and Hakudoushi weren't your son, you would be with me?"

"I never said that. Are you threatening my family, Juun'rai?" The word was new to me, and felt weird. It would take some getting used to.

"No, of course not." He shook his head, giving me an emotionless look. Damn him and his ability to mask his true intention!

"That's what it _sounded _like you were doing."

"But I wasn't. I could never hurt anyone you cared so deeply for."

"So, if you _know _I love them both, why are you doing this? You _know _I'm mentally unstable, and if I didn't have Inuyasha and Hakudoushi, my nymphomaniacal instinct might've taken over and I may have jumped you in this blue swan boat! Right now, that's the last thing I ever wanna do!"

"...I dunno. I guess I just really love you, despite your situation. There's a part of me that will always think that you're the same girl from back in the day, 'cause I'm pretty much the same guy. And as for me threatening your family? I could never even carry out a vindictive threat. You know I've never obtained anything by malicious means, I've never tried to, I've never wanted to, and I never will, especially when it comes to you. I don't even think I have the emotional ability to get mad!" he chuckled, rubbing the nape of his neck. I shook my head, smiling.

"Inuyasha probably wouldn't like you very much."

"You mean, if he disregarded the fact that I'm in love with his mate?"

"Yeah."

"I also want you to know—I'm not gonna give up on you. I know it's futile, but hey, you've never known me to give on anything before, right?"

"That's true. But please, I beg you to give up on _me_. Inuyasha is trusting me enough to let me go to your concert. I really don't want anything happening to betray his trust. If he even _smells _you around me when I get back, he'd leave me. I've already had my mental breakdowns regarding _that_. And I mean that so literally. He's an inuyoukai, and inuyoukai mate for life. I can't just go off rutting with _you_."

"I understand completely." He shrugged. And I _know _he did, but he still wasn't giving up on me?! I merely stared at him.

"You're smart enough to understand that I'm already with someone, and that I have a child, yet you still chase me?" He paused before nodding casually.

"I told you, I love you. There's no other girl—no, I'm sorry. There is no other _woman _for me, and there never will be. Even if I live to the end of time, I'll still love none but you." He smiled calmly.

_Oh...that's so beautiful. (sniffle) I think I'm going to make you cry._

I rolled my eyes. "Seimegami says that's so beautiful."

"Who? Do you have an alter ego or something? I think that's so awesome." He grinned.

"Umm...actually, no. Well, not really. Well...it's like...I have a sex goddess who happens to be inuyoukai dwelling within my body. Literally. And, uh, she's been pretty much against you coming onto me ever since the first day you came back, 'cause her mate, who is the sex _god _Seikami, dwells within _Inuyasha's _body, coincidentally. This is how she sees it: if _I _fraternize with _you_, then _she's _betraying Seikami. I dunno. Her mind's kinda warped. But anyway, I bet that whole thing pretty turns you off, right?" He looked at me with wide eyes.

"..._Wow. _Seriously. So you were serious when you said you had mental breakdowns?"

"Uh-huh."

"Huh. I always thought you had mental inclinations." I anime-sweatdropped.

"Really, thank you for the compliment!" I growled. He chuckled.

"No, I didn't mean it like that, Kagome. I've always liked strange women, and you were definitely no exception. To top your being psychologically disturbed with regards to your sex drive, you're smart, beautiful, and can even be nice at times." He beamed. My own smile widened until I had to laugh.

"You always have something _outlandish _to say to make me laugh." I shook my head, playfully biffing him in the arm.

"So does that mean you will still come to the concert?" I cocked my eyebrow warily.

"If I do, will you hit on me?"

"Most likely. After all, you do have a backstage pass—and are the only person that does. I didn't give one to _anybody else_."

"Could you try _not _to?"

"I make no promises. I'm sorry, Kagome, but I can't control myself around you. I've had to sit on my hands ever since you pushed me away, and if you'll notice, I now am speaking somewhat lispingly because I've been biting my tongue." I blinked. Now that he mentioned it...he did sound kind of defective, speech-wise. "And ever since your hand fell on my ding-dong, my pants have become too tight." My face turned the same color as the neon hearts. "Looks like the ride's coming back to the beginning." He sighed, smiling at me and shrugging his shoulders. I hadn't even remembered that we were in a boat, moving.

"Juun..." I began, looking back at him and breaking out into uncontrollable giggles to see that he'd put back on that Halloween mask and the boater hat.

"Just know, Kagome, that I will do _anything _for you. I don't care how big it is, I swear to the kamis I'll find a way to do it. If you want me to leave you alone, then I think I can do that. But there's one thing I won't do, for you or anybody else. Not even for Inuyasha." I quirked my eyebrow, gazing sidelong as the boat came to an automated stop. How the hell Inuyasha become a part of the equation, I don't think I'll ever know. "And that's be your friend. I couldn't be your friend in a million centuries. I have way too many sexual and romantic tendencies towards you. Let me escort you off." I looked at him, the Juun'rai Sanzenin behind the mask—literally—and saw just how much this man really loved me. I didn't even think Inuyasha loved me that much. Nor Kouga, nor Tobushikai, nor Suikoutsu. He stood to help me out.

"Uh...wait, Juun. Before I leave..." I lifted his mask, staring into his calm yet quizzical blue orbs before leaning in to kiss him.

_Now that one was entirely you. It reminds me of the time you __**willingly **__kissed Tobushikai..._

Oh, stuff a bone in it.

_How 'bout Juun'rai's __**tongue**__ instead?_

I glared inwardly. My only hope was that I could stop after Juun wrapped his arms around my waist, cupped my posterior, and compressed me closer to his body.

_Probably not._

Shut _up_, Seimegami!

We quickly broke apart, gasping for air. "I...better go..." I panted, wiping my lips.

"Yeah...yeah." Juun nodded frantically, but I could feel his distinct happiness in the air. He helped me out of the swan boat and back onto the carnival scene. I took one last look at him before turning and dashing off. Conveniently forgetting that I had on high heels, but then that's just typical of me, isn't it? I tripped. "Kagome!" Juun'rai must've leaped out of the boat and bolted to my aid. I felt his arms wrap around me once more, preventing my fall.

"Kagome!!" another voice, one I recognized as Inuyasha's, called out. Ay-yi-yi...

"Oh, no..."

_Yep. Yep, yep, yep, I __**told **__you. Time and time again, __**I TOLD YOU**__, but did you listen? Nope. You're __**so **__gonna lose Inuyasha after that little stunt you pulled._

Please, Seimegami, mask my scent, just this once...again!

_Why?_

BECAUSE! If I lose Inuyasha, you lose Seikami!

_...Shit. I __**hate **__you, little girl._

I clenched my eyes shut as I sensed Inuyasha rapidly approach and the next thing I knew, Inuyasha yelped in pain and was somehow catapulted backwards by some unknown force. I opened my eyes again, looking around in horror. Juun and I were in some kind of..._bubble _or something. Juun and I looked at each other, confused.

Seimegami, did...did _you_do that?

_Me? Hell no. This looks like a barrier. I'm a demon, I couldn't do that in a minute. Only those with spiritual power can do that. Looks like Seikami was right about you being miko_...

"Um...Kagome, what in the hell was that?"

"Seimegami says it's a barrier...but I don't know why I put it up against Inuyasha like that..."

"It was probably inadvertent. But maybe you should put it down now...?" With a sheepish giggle, I let down my guard—literally. I got to my feet, brushing off imaginary dust from my dress.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" I called, power-walking over to him. Can't tell me I don't learn my lesson. My mate in question groaned, coughing as he lay on the concrete. I kneeled at his side, kissing his bruised face.

"Aggghh...shit, bitch, why the fuck did you do that?!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" I cried out. "It was an accident!" He sat up, growling at Juun. I praised the Lord that Seimegami had the mercy to hide Juun's smell on me.

"Hey, you ugly motherfucker! Who the hell d'you think you are, puttin' your filthy hands on Kagome like that?!" Inuyasha got to his feet, stomping in Juun's direction.

"GAH! Uh...I'm sorry, good sir, I didn't know she was yours...I was merely preventing her fall, that's all!" Juun explained rapidly, grinning apologetically.

"Inuyasha...!" I grunted, stumbling after him with a broken heel. I don't even _know _how the hell that happened. I snatched off my shoes and chucked 'em in some random direction. From the resounding clunk and very male howl of pain, I knew I'd hit someone. I didn't care, though. I leaped to Inuyasha, holding him around his waist as he came within kissing distance of Juun. Unfortunately, he wasn't planning on doing anything of the sort.

_Also unfortunately, Juun'rai's scent is off of __**you**__, but yours isn't off him..._

My arms fell at my side, my whole body turning pale. I slowly backed away, chuckling nervously, "I'm...gonna go...get Hakudoushi. Bye." I turned and ran off.

"Wait, Kagome!" Juun called. I looked over my shoulder, eyes wide at the sight of Juun pushing Inuyasha out of his way and running after me.

"DAMN!" I cried, picking up the pace. Good thing I wasn't fat anymore. I looked back over my shoulder again, and Inuyasha was bounding after Juun. Good Lord, how stupid we all must look. Juun with that ugly ass mask on and the gondola hat, me with no heels and callused feet, and Inuyasha looking rabid. "Juun, you idiot, Inuyasha's gonna kill you!"

"I don't care!" Juun'rai declared. "Kagome, I love you!" I anime-sweatdropped.

_Jeez, that guy's stupid._

Or like my mother always said: He's so smart, he's stupid.

"What did you say?!?!" Inuyasha roared, and with a final glance over my shoulder, I saw him leap in the air, definitely about to pounce on Juun.

"Juun, watch out!" I screamed, stopping and going back to help him. He skidded to a halt, head jerking around wildly.

_Oh, my G—idiot human. Let __**me **__do this..._

I transformed in a heartbeat and used my newfound speed to launch into Juun, pushing him out of the way as Inuyasha landed on his feet. I grabbed Juun by the scruff of his collar and dragged him to his feet. His legs were shaking slightly, but he looked at Inuyasha defiantly.

"Kagome, this guy's a little dangerous, isn't he?" He grunted, not taking his eyes from my slowly approaching mate. He snatched the mask off his head. "Shit, I can't breathe in that damn thing."

"He's only protecting me." Juun suddenly whipped around to face me, taking my hands in his and gazing at me pleadingly.

"Kagome, _I _can protect you. Even without the strength of a demon. Please, be with me." Before I could politely decline, Inuyasha's fist came out of nowhere and rooted itself in Juun's face. Inuyasha seized my waist with one arm and brandished the index of his other in Juun's face, snarling, "Touch my woman again and more than your nose will be broken, you stupid son-of-a-bitch. I'm trying to be lenient here, but you're making it hard on your own self by—" Inuyasha's eyes went wide all of a sudden and he released me before falling to the ground, clutching his manhood where Juun's foot had collided with it.

I gasped. "You...Juun'rai, you _didn't_..." That was the lowest blow I could think of to a guy.

_A straight-up bitch move._ Inuyasha's face was purpling with either anger or pain. Juun coughed up a bit of blood before gradually getting to his feet.

"She was _mine _first!" Juun wheezed.

"Oh, wait a damn minute, now! I don't _belong _to anybody! I ain't no fucking object!" Though, with the way I was being handled tonight, that was debatable.

"I know; I'm sorry, Kagome." Juun'rai cooed, kissing me on the lips. I squeaked. What the hell was going on?! I fended him off with my elbow, spitting and wiping my lips.

"Damn it, Juun'rai!" I growled. He stumbled backwards, right into Inuyasha, who effortlessly clutched his neck and slammed him to the ground. Ooh, somebody's been watching wrestling... "Inuyasha! What the hell—" Before I could verbally beat him up, he himself planted a kiss on my mouth. I absolutely melted, but I didn't know what he was doing.

_Oh. Oh-ho-ho. The hanyou's not as stupid as I first surmised._

What is he doing?!

_He's scent marking you! He's eliminating Juun'rai's smell by replacing it with his own._

Huh. ...And his breath smells pretty sweet, too.

_Which do you prefer, fresh or sweet?_

I dunno. Juun's breath smells like good ol' Winterfresh, and sometimes the one that comes in the green pack. Is that Winter_green_? Well, whatever. Yeah, that, and Inuyasha's breath now smells like...ooh, funnel cake. I _love _funnel cake...that, elephant ears...and popcorn.

After this meaningless conversation with Seimegami, I realized that Inuyasha was still kissing me. I looked down at Juun, who merely shrugged and sighed, getting up and trying to pull Inuyasha away from me. The hanyou growled against my mouth, deepening and roughening the kiss.

"Inuyasha...sweetie...I can't breathe...!" I mumbled. He broke away, panting and gasping. I took in deep breaths. "Juun'rai. Maybe you should go, um, get your face fixed. I'm sure you don't want to be looking like that at the concert..."

"Oh, yeah. The _concert_." Inuyasha said mockingly. "You ain't going."

"I'm not?"

"No."

"Eh, okay." Juun's eyes widened.

"What?! But K-Kagome, you _have _to go! You're my inspiration!" he cried out, coming towards me, but Inuyasha held out his hand. Juun's face landed in Inuyasha's palm, but his feet kept moving. I peered over Inuyasha's shoulder curiously. When Inuyasha dropped his arm, Juun fell to his knees on the ground, staring tearfully up at me. "If...if you don't come, there's no telling what I'll do!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"What a punk." He muttered. I ignored this and looked back at my former lover, pity glossing my own eyes.

"Inuyasha..." I scolded lightly. "Juun's very sensitive."

"What, is he gonna _cry_? You gotta be fucking kidding me." Inuyasha scoffed. Juun covered his face in his hands, and I could just smell the beginning of tears.

"Ohh..." I sighed, kneeling down and wrapping him in a friendly embrace. I could hear my mate growling behind me. "Inuyasha, hush! It's your fault he's crying."

"No, it's _not_! It's his, the idiot! He shouldn't've touched you in the first place, and maybe you could still go!"

"Kagome..." Juun sobbed. "My life has been in shambles ever since I had to leave you! And now that—and now that I'm back, here with you, your _stupid _mate is trying to take me away from me! I mean, you away from me!" I stifled my giggle. Whenever Juun cried and tried to talk at the same time, his words never came out right.

"It's okay, Juun." I soothed, raking my fingers through his shoulder-length ebony locks.

"Jeez, Kagome, can we _go _now?!"

"Inuyasha! Can't you see that Juun needs my consolation right now? Please, just let me go to the concert. I hate to see people cry, especially when I'm involved in the reason for their crying." I said.

"Tch! _Fine_. Jesus Christ...fine, you can go to the stupid thing, but if you ain't home by eleven, I'm coming out there and breaking my foot off in his ass. _And I wear cleats, baby._"

"No, you don't." I sucked my teeth. "No, he doesn't, Juun'rai."

"I...I know." Juun sniffled, and unburied his face from my now wet shoulder, giving me a watery smile. "Thank you so much, Kagome. I l—"

"Say it and I'll leave you here to cry." Inuyasha said gruffly.

"Noted." Juun'rai grinned. "Thank you, too, Inuyasha. And...I'm sorry for kicking you in the balls. If you want to, you can kick me back."

"Heh! My pleasure!" Inuyasha sneered, gearing his foot up.

"Goddamn it, Inuyasha, don't be an asshole." I lambasted. With a frustrated grumble, he lowered his foot onto the ground.

"Guy says lemme kick 'im in the nuts, I wanna...(trails off)" I helped Juun'rai to his feet.

"Kagome, I really do thank you. And I apologize for coming on to you. But like I said, I just can't help it!" Juun'rai shrugged, smiling.

"You're gonna _need _help if you keep prattlin' on like that." Inuyasha grumbled.

"I know how to compensate for all this. How about I take you two—oh, hell, we'll make it a three. I'll take you, Inuyasha, and Hakudoushi out to eat Monday. I would tonight or tomorrow, but I gotta rehearse for the concert."

"Okay, that's fine with me." I nodded.

"How do you know about our son?!" Inuyasha spluttered. "Has—have you been _spying _on us, you nosy prick?!"

"Haha!" Juun'rai laughed. "Kagome asked me the same thing earlier. Maybe you two _were_ made for each other. No, I wasn't spying. Kagome told me." Inuyasha shot me a nasty glare. I just shrugged.

"Hey, he asked, I told him. The guy's charming; what can I say?"

"Look here. I am not sticking around to be trampled by the idiot masses, a.k.a. hordes of bitches, running to see _Juun'rai Sanzenin_. I also don't want _you _to be killed by 'em since _you were __**lucky **__enough to be in his presence_." Inuyasha said sarcastically.

"She's done more than—" Both Inuyasha and I narrowed our eyes at him to shut him up. "Hehe...sorry."

"So we're leaving. Let's go get Hakudoushi and go _home_ and forget tonight ever even happened. Is that fine? Me and you never saw no Juun'rai Sanzenin."

"JUUN'RAI SANZENIN?!?!?!" a girl shrieked, provoking many more loud and girlish utterances of Juun's name. I shook my head as all heads turned Juun's way. His eyes widened.

"Damn! I knew I should've kept the ugly mask on...!" he panicked as they began running his way. "Kagome, no matter what happens, I love you—don't forget me!" He blew a kiss to me before pulling a Scooby-Doo and hightailing it. Inuyasha growled angrily.

"God, I hate that guy. Crying one minute, running the next." He groused, linking our hands and leading me out of the way of the idiot masses.

_You mean, the hordes of bitches._

Eh, whatever.

——————

As Inuyasha and I made our way to the daycare, I said, "So, since we're going to forget this night ever happened...we should tell each other what happened when we were apart." He fidgeted slightly, making me think that we both had our little secrets.

"Well...some woman came onto me. She was a hanyou, too. A kitsune hanyou." My eyes narrowed in thought. That description sounded familiar...

"What was her name?" I questioned coolly.

"I dunno...I forget..." he lied. I gave him a look.

"What was her name, Inuyasha?" I repeated, more firmly this time.

"Jeez...it was Ka—"

"Katsumi, isn't it?!" I growled, clenching my fists. The _bitch_...

_Oh, yes. I remember Katsumi. Charming woman, she was._

Inuyasha looked startled. "Uh...yeah, actually. How did you know?"

"Mm. Let's just say we have a history." Flashbacks of college catfights ran through my mind, each making me angrier than the last.

_Why don't we just...calm ourselves down, hmm? I mean...c'mon, it's old history._

Old history _shit_! That slut has _always _tried to take what was mine! Katsumi Kobayashi, bonafide asslicker.

"But that ain't nothing big." Inuyasha waved it off. "What about you?"

"Ahem...I kissed Juun'rai."

"..."

"It was originally intended to be a quick peck on the lips, but he developed it into something more passionate. I broke away from him before it could get too deep, though." I said casually, then mocked, "But that ain't nothing big." He glared at me.

"Like I said, tonight never happened." He grunted. I nodded, an identically hard look on my face. We finally got back to the daycare. Inuyasha went in the building, while I stood outside, leaning on the wall.

"Shit!" I swore when I remembered that I was shoeless. Great...I'd have to get Inuyasha to carry me. I was _definitely _soaking my feet tonight. I was in a very sour mood.

"Kagome? Kagome Higurashi, is that _you_?" a sickeningly-sweet voice called.

"Grr..." I wasn't one for fakery. "Kobayashi. What the hell do _you _want? Tch—I mean _other _than Inuyasha, that is." As she approached me, it royally pissed me off to see that she was wearing the exact same dress as I. _God_, I fucking _hated her_!

"Why, just what would provoke you to think—"

"Save that fake-ass bullshit for somebody who gives a good _fuck_, bitch. I don't wanna hear it." I said, avoiding eye contact. If I had to look at those disgustingly bathetic baby blue eyes for a second, I would most likely claw them out.

"Hm." She smirked. "That Inuyasha is definitely a piece of work, though. Wonder what he's doing with _you_?"

_Okay, now, see, she's about to piss even __**me **__off._

"Don't worry about _my _mate, okay?"

"Your _what_? Who in their right mind would mate a whore like you?" Katsumi scoffed. Again, I clenched my fists, feeling myself transform. "Hmm? What's this, then? I'd heard you were possessed, but this is a whole 'nother thing. I don't like the hair. It's so flat. No body, but then I suppose that's not very uncharacteristic of you yourself, right, Kagome-chan?" My fingers trembled with the desire to throw down. I was about to go ballistic.

"Every single syllable that you _spew _out of your revolting mouth brings you closer and closer to a bloody death." I growled lowly.

"Ha! What-ever. Say...where did _Inuyasha_ go? I'd like to discuss a few things with him."

"Somebody call me?" my _mate_ said as he came out of the daycare with Hakudoushi. Without warning, I grabbed him by his collar and slammed my lips against his. His eyes widened, but the fierce and predatory look in my own told him—no, _demanded _of him—to follow suit. He quickly shut his dilated pupils and put his arms around my waist. I smirked against his lips at Katsumi's disgusted and frustrated grunt.

"Ugh! Get a room, Higurashi—nobody wants to see you throw yourself at someone who obviously doesn't even want you." Okay. That was the _last motherfucking straw_. I pushed Inuyasha away, whipping around to face Katsumi with an angry snarl upon my face.

"That's _it_. I am sick and fucking tired of you degrading me. Inuyasha!" I barked.

"Aroo?" he and Hakudoushi simultaneously whimpered.

"Take my son far away from here. I don't want him to witness his mother delivering a serious-assed _beatdown _to this bitch."

"Yes, ma'am!" He gathered Haku up and ran off. People began to crowd around Katsumi and I, apparently sensing the tension between us.

"See, 'cause I already got my shoes off, so I can't beat you _too _senselessly." I said tightly, taking out my earrings and tossing them on the ground. I loosed my hair from its already messy bun and whipped my hair around my shoulders. Katsumi just scoffed.

"I thought I smelled the stench of your putrid feet." She insulted. "Besides, I don't _need _to take off my earrings, _nor _my shoes. I can beat you with two paws tied behind my back and paraplegic legs." The crowd ooh'ed.

"You couldn't do it four years ago, and you for damn sure can't do it tonight." I hissed. We circled each other, my knuckles white with my claws digging into my palms, and Katsumi's own claws poised for attack. I crouched in a pugnacious stance before leaping at Katsumi.

I was so fast, I was a lightning bolt to onlooking humans, but due to Kobayashi's half-demon nature, she could see me quite clearly, and thrust out her sharp elbow, hitting me dead in the face. The bitch was never one for evasion. I got back on my feet and, despite an already bloody face, commenced slapping the shit out of her in rapid succession. She shrieked, literally turning the other cheek. That was good, 'cause my claws "accidentally" slashed up her face.

With an irate growl, she responsively smashed her heel into my gut, provoking an "oomph" from yours truly. I hunched over, inadvertently baring the back of my neck to her. She used this as an opportunity to strike the vulnerable nape with the back of her leg. I clattered to the ground. It did hurt, but my body was exceptionally tough, even without Seimegami helping me. So, I decided to lay there and play a bit of possum. I let my miko and demonic senses determine when Katsumi raised her foot to drive her heel into and possibly through my spine. Before she could, however, I shot up my hand to catch her by the ankle and, scrambling to my feet, performed a rather clean dragon whip in which I, still holding Katsumi's ankle, looped her leg around my head, thus tripping her up onto her face. Our audience hissed with sympathy pains. I merely sneered. That was gonna hurt in the morning.

However, despite this combatant triumph, the score—and yes, I was keeping count—was 3 to 2, and I was basically bringing up the rear. That dirty neck shot had me lagging behind. In order to win, I had to do some pretty nasty things that I definitely didn't mind doing when it came to Kobayashi.

I wasted no more time in kneeling in front of Katsumi's grounded head and crunching her face further into the gravel. There were some shocked gasps and I supposed some parents covered their naive children's eyes. Katsumi released a muffled scream of obvious pain.

"I wouldn't open my mouth if I were you, Kobayashi..." I whistled. "Your teeth will be even blacker than usual, what with the gravel." Much to my surprise and chagrin, she somehow managed to lift and bend her lower body to punt me in the face with _both _of her cheap-ass French heels. I fell flat on my ass and cracked my skull. Shit...I was really fucking up.

Katsumi straddled me and began choking me, her face blood mixed with bits of gravel dripping onto my face. Due to my dwindling strength, my movement was slow as I raised trembling brachial limbs to throttle her in return.

"Die...Higurashi..." Katsumi gasped, my thumb pressing down on a very tender spot in her neck.

"No...whores first...I insist..." I groaned, feeling my air supply cut off. Gradually, like always, both of us got tired and our hands dropped. Katsumi rolled off of me, producing a very wrong scene to certain close-minded people.

"I'm gonna kill you one day. You know that, right? I hate you."

"I hate you more."

"I hate you so much, I'd kill myself before I allow you to do it."

"Then by all means, be my guest."

"Fuck off."

"I'd rather fuck Inuyasha." I growled, turning my head to face her.

"You know what? I'm gonna snatch those three-dollar heels off your feet and plant 'em in your ass, huh? Maybe you'll piss shoelaces." There was a pause before she chuckled.

"Y'know, that was actually somewhat amusing."

"Considering it's at your expense, it should be."

Apparently seeing that the fight was over, the crowd began to disperse. I heard my name being called by none other than—

"Hey, that sounds like Juun'rai Sanzenin..." Katsumi mused aloud.

"It is..._God_, leave me alone." I groaned, wishing I could get up and run off.

"KAGOME!!!! My dearest flower! Are you all right?!" Juun cried out, dashing in my direction with the idiot masses after him. He got down on his knees at my side, stroking my face, much to Kobayashi's dismay and horror.

"What in all the hells?!?! Higurashi, you _know _Juun'rai Sanzenin?!"

"Unfortunately..." I grumbled. "Damn it, Juun!"

"I'm so sorry, Kagome." He cooed, nuzzling my cheek. A growl from above stopped this in its tracks.

"I told your little scrawny pussy ass to leave my girl alone, Sanzenin!"

"Goddamn it...! Inuyasha, Juun'rai, instead of _arguing _like the dumbasses you both are, how about helping me up?!" Katsumi stared openmouthed at me. Inuyasha gathered me up into his arms, as if I were a baby getting burped.

"Come on, Kagome, let's just go home now."

"Wait, I'll take you home, Kagome!" Juun'rai tried.

"Juun, please go home." I sighed, leaning my head over Inuyasha's shoulder and rasberrying Katsumi. "Ha-ha, Kobayashi!" Katsumi growled enviously. "Hey, since I feel sorry for you—Juun'rai!" Juun snapped to attention.

"Yes, my beloved?" he asked hopefully.

"Help Katsumi out." He noticeably deflated and turned to Katsumi, a sour look on his face. Katsumi apparently didn't know what to think. That's just the way I liked everything.

——————

After a long-ass evening of multiple fights, kissing, and whatnot, I was plumb tuckered out. However, I couldn't very well go to bed bloodied. So, after Inuyasha put Hakudoushi in his new bed, he got out the peroxide and some cotton balls. I hated peroxide, but it was better than rubbing alcohol by miles. I was laid on the couch and thoroughly treated.

"So," Inuyasha smiled, dabbing at my wounds with the cotton ball, "did you win the fight?"

"Well...in the end, the score was five to four. I came up short, but only by technicality. If I see that bitch again, I'll have on heels. That's how she got most of her points. She...lemme see, she kicked me in the face and in the gut. She would've had six points if I was dumb or weak enough to let her slam her stilettos into my spinal cord."

"I thought you did have on heels? What'd you do with 'em?"

"I chucked them back when I was running from Juun."

"So, in laymen's, you lost."

"...No, my dear mate. Technically, I won."

"But we ain't talking technicalities. We're talking straight detail."

"Well...I drove her face into the ground. Does that count?"

"Okay, yeah, so I guess you did win. Hakudoushi would be proud." I grinned, the expression quickly morphing into a grimace as my wounds widened with the effort.

"Damn whore." I huffed.

"Now, now. She's nobody important, so don't stress yourself _or _your wounds dwelling on her." Inuyasha assured.

"Yeah. Guess you're right. Heh...I bet that'll be a cool thing for Hakudoushi to tell his classmate when he goes to school. "My mom kicked kitsune ass!" Inuyasha laughed out loud. "Ohh...so how's my face look?"

"Eh. You were much cuter when you weren't so fucked up." He shrugged.

"Why, thank you so kindly. Why don't you just wrap up my face in some gauze, so as to soften _that_ emotional slap?"

"Heh...I still love you, though." He chuckled, tweaking my nose.

"That's nice."

"What, you don't love me?"

"Not particularly, due to the fact that you allowed my worst enemy to flirt with you."

"Wh—okay, come on, now. I didn't trip when—" I raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Inuyasha, when _don't _you trip?"

"But she bought me a candied apple! I _love _candied apples!" he whined.

"All you had to do was tell me! I could've bought you a stupid-ass apple!"

"Hey. Don't bring the apple into this, alright? This is between me and you." He said firmly. "And besides, when exactly did I get the chance to tell you? Uh, before or after Juun'rai was feeling you up?" I gaped at him, appalled that he would bring up something so...so _dirty_.

"That was really wrong of you, Inuyasha. I'm hurt." I harrumphed.

"So it's true! I _knew _it! I've been detecting that faint odor on you all day! Tell me, how did you manage to hide your scent, huh?! Miko powers? Seimegami?"

"Who by the way did the crappiest job _ever_." I sighed.

_Hey, I didn't even have to do it. See what __**your **__scent-masking skill produces when your heart isn't in it. Oh, wait—you don't __**have **__scent-masking skill! Alright, then! So I suggest you shut your trap, or I'll conveniently use my excellent memory to recall this moment when you're_ _having another scent dilemma._

"Seimegami, huh?" Inuyasha shook his head, tutting at me.

"What time is it?" He looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

"It's 11:28."

"Okay, then. The night is almost over. When all three of those hands reach that twelve—minute hand, hour hand, second hand—then we'll forget any of this ever happened, okay?"

"Agreed. What else happened between you and Juun'rai that I should know about?"

"In the kaguya, he was hiding behind the dresser behind us when I said I was gonna go get some gumballs. I asked him if he was following me. He said no, but he wasn't surprised the paparazzi weren't, because I had the makings of a supermodel—without the anorexia. We laughed and I said he wasn't right, with regard to supermodels. He said he knew. He then asked whether you were my boyfriend. I said mate, actually, and showed him the mate mark." Inuyasha looked confused.

"So if he _saw _the mark, why hasn't he backed off yet?"

"I'm getting to that! Yeesh! So anyway...right, I showed him the mark, and he asked if Hakudoushi was my son—our son, really. I said he's mine but not yours. He said, genuinely, that he was sorry to hear that. He said your name was cool."

"Cooler than his, obviously." I glared at him.

"He asked if I'd told you about the concert. I said technically, no, my friend's boyfriend, also your friend, a.k.a. Miroku, told you 'cause he's nosy as hell. Juun said which one? I said both. So then he said let...let him let...me? Yeah, yeah, let him let me get back to you. You were probably wondering whether I'd busted the machine wide open."

"I was."

"So I made to leave, thinking that he'd forgotten about our past, but I was proven very wrong when he snagged me back and kissed me." I noticed that Inuyasha's grip on the couch cushion tightened considerably.

"How many times, exactly, has this guy kissed you? I need to know how many of his balls to rip off."

"But he only has two balls."

——————

I didn't see Katsumi anymore for a few days, nor Juun'rai. I was back to my dreary little life again. Great. And _that's _not sarcasm. On the day of the concert, which was to start at seven, I hung with Sango. The fact that Juun'rai Sanzenin, internationally known singer, was madly in love with me, some unknown Japanese nymphomaniac, and the fact that the whole world would probably know it after the televised concert, didn't hinder me from wanting to look good. And so, Sango and I dedicated the time between ten in the morning to five thirty in the evening to...well, looking good!

As soon as I woke up at eight, I jumped out of bed and got ready to go to Sango's. Apparently awakened by the sound of my bustling, Inuyasha sat up in the bed as I picked out my clothes, scratching his long hair.

"Baby girl, what are you doing up so early in the morning?" he grunted.

"I'm picking out my clothes to go to Sango's. We're gonna go shopping and get our hair and nails done."

"What, for the concert? Pssh. I thought you didn't want Sanzenin?"

"I don't." I shrugged. "I just wanna look good regardless. I mean, think about it—the thing is gonna be _televised_."

"Guh. I don't like his music no way. I got better things to do than to be watching that bullshit concert."

"Or maybe you just don't wanna see Juun?"

"Hell no. I don't have much of a reason to hate him, but I do, even though I don't remember anything from yesterday." He claimed. I shook my head. He was really taking it seriously about forgetting last night ever happened.

"Neither can I," I grinned, "but I do distinctly recall kicking a bit of ass." I spread my clothing out on the stand at the foot of the bed and pounced on top of Inuyasha. He oomphed jokingly.

"Damn, girl, you trying to kill me with your buffalo butt?" I gave him an alluring smile.

"Have you been watching Good Times again?"

"Hey, hey, hey, what can I say? That show is _dynamite_." He cackled.

"Okay, you know what? You have just been deemed too uncool to be seduced." I adjudicated, crawling off of him.

"Wait, no, no, I'm sorry!" he laughed, pulling me back on top of him.

"Are you sure?" I teased.

"Definite. Gimme a morning kiss." He reached up to smooch me, but I turned my head, blushing.

"Okay, my breath is kicking more ass than I do myself." I muttered.

"What, is that all? So is mine, but I don't mind kissing you."

"Let's wait until we've both showered and brushed our teeth. Ladies first, of course, 'cause I'm heading out on a girls' day." I jumped off of him, winking. He grumbled as he got up, too, yawning and stretching. I slapped him on the ass, waking him up very thoroughly. Before I went into the bathroom, I called, "And you better have that bed made when I get out, too." He groused under his breath. I lobbed my bedroom shoe at the back of his head, but by the time he'd whipped around, the bathroom door was closed and locked.

——————

About fifteen minutes later, I waltzed myself out of the bathroom, freshly laundered, with my breath smelling like Scope. I had a towel wrapped around my body and a smaller one around my head. I smiled to see the bed made, but there was no sign of Inuyasha. I shrugged and tossed the head towel onto the bed. I then dried off with the body towel and chucked that on the bed, too. I scampered over to my bedside drawer and pulled out my black blow dryer—the one with the comb attached to the mouth. Whistling jauntily, I put the blower to its designated use. The noise was naturally irritating to my ears, but for some strange reason, it seemed to suddenly double in intensity.

"The hell?" I grumbled, cutting it off. The other sound continued. Huh. Must've been Inuyasha. All this noise was bound to wake up Hakudoushi. Since my hair was already dry enough, I spritzed it for it to retain its shine and ran my Unbreakable through it. The red comb glided through my tangle-free locks and I grinned toothily. The phone rang. I dashed into the kitchen to get it, pretty much ignoring Inuyasha's hoot of obvious approval. "Yeeees?" I answered.

"Yeah, it's Sango."

"Obviously not one for formalities, my dear friend."

"Whatever. Be here at nine thirty."

"Why? What time is it?"

"It's eight twenty-six."

"Then why in the hell are you calling me _now_?!"

"Because! The mall opens at nine! We have to get there before the cougars!"

"...Cou...gars?"

Sango gave an exasperated groan on the other side. "_Cougars_, Kagome. Haven't you been watching Nancy Grace on CNN?"

"Hell no! I'm surprised you do!" I laughed. I could almost hear her roll her eyes.

"It was also on the phone commercial, where that girl was like, "Looks like ol' cougar over there is chatting him up" or something, but... Cougars are women over the age of forty who date younger men because they're going through their midlife crises and they need mental stability."

"Oh. Any other cat-related terms you wanna just...throw out there?"

"As a matter of fact, there are. We also have to get there before the bobcats and the haguars."

"And these would be...?"

"The decade-younger equivalent of a cougar, and an unattractive cougar whose advances are unsuccessful. Respectively." She added.

"Huh. Wow. Guess you really do learn something new everyday."

"So..._**BRING YOUR ASS!!!**_" Before I could retort, there was a dial tone. I could do nothing but laugh as I hung up the phone and leaned with my elbows on the table, looking around my kitchen.

"I should really—" The next thing I knew, Inuyasha's form was molded against my naked body and his shaft was plunged right up my perineum. Since I was bent over, basically, I think we should all know what that one means. My back arched, more from reflex than pleasure, but it felt pretty damn good, too. Heh.

"Um...is there any particular reason you're getting your dick more acquainted with my ass?" I asked politely. He gripped my shoulders in his palms, leaning forward and immersing himself further into me. He whispered in my ear, "You were in the customary bitch position. What could I do?"

"Mmm. Well, I know what you _can _do." I smirked.

"I'm only happy to do it." He grinned, thus commencing the anal version of the reproductive act...

By the time we were done, it was—_shit_, Sango was gonna kill me—eight forty. And now, to top off having to get dressed and all that other shit, I now had to take another shower. When I cleared my throat and innocently suggested Inuyasha and I take one _together_...you know, to save water, well...I think we all know that he was more than happy to indulge me. Hehehe.

——————

I sprinted through Sango's door at 9:29, 49 seconds and counting.

"Okay!" I panted. "Here-here I am!" Sango was standing by the couch, tapping her foot rather impatiently.

"I do recall requesting you be here at _9:30_." She said icily.

"What?" I desperately glanced at my watch. It was a few seconds after 9:30, but I technically was here at 9:29. "Okay, so I was a little earlier than expected. And I do mean a little earlier." I chuckled. "But I thought you'd be happy about that!"

"Happy about what—the fact that you're thirty minutes late, or the fact that the watch on your wrist has been slow for three months? Hmm? Let me know, 'cause I'm slightly confused about which one."

"Slow...? Ah. Damn." I sighed. "This thing sucks."

"Just please come on, before you piss me off further."

"Noted." I followed Sango out the door to her car. We got in, she sped off, and in minutes, we were on the highway, doing about seventy.

"I _told _you about the cougars, didn't I? I _told _you."

"Hey, I couldn't help it!"

"Help _what_?! And anyway, I called you at eight twenty-six, and don't hear from you until you get here at _ten_! What in the _hell _could you have _possibly _been doing for almost an hour and a half?!"

I chuckled sheepishly. "The call of the dick is indeed a mighty one, Sango-chan." I admitted dreamily.

"GAH!" Sango blushed. "You're telling me you spent all that time having _sex_?!"

"Yes. Yes, I did. And I'm not ashamed, nary a bit."

"Kagome, I have nothing more to say to you."

"Okay, yeah, right, like you've _never _done something like that with Miroku when you had the time." As soon as her former blush seemed to be retreating, it flared up fully. "Uh-huh. That's _just _what I thought."

"Well...in the winter, yeah, sure. But it's fall now, and therefore the need to share body heat is unnecessary."

"It's always cool to share body heat." I grinned, reminiscing on how much body heat Inuyasha shared this morning. "Probably enough to heat all of New York for the whole winter." I thought aloud. Sango looked at me.

"Uh..." My phone rang. "I mean, nothing." I picked it up and said, "Yes, this is Kagome speaking, how may I help you?" The person on the other line laughed richly.

"Kagome, did you know that you sound exactly like a WacDnalds cashier?" Sango burst out in laughter as I anime-sweatdropped.

"Wow, Juun, you're so kind!" I growled.

"But you're extremely sexy-sounding when you growl." I smacked my forehead. Really, now—an international pop star calling me on the cell to call me sexy. I shall be the envy of every woman on Earth.

"I hate you, Juun."

"Juun who?" Sango muttered.

"This is Juun'rai Sanzenin, Sango, an idiot who has nothing better to call women when they're _about _to go shopping!" Sango had to swerve to narrowly avoid an eighteen-wheeler.

"Oh, Kagome, don't be like that."

"You know what, Juun, I'm sure you have some rehearsing to do, don't you? So let me let you get back to that."

"Oh, no, I'm done rehearsing. I know everything by heart now. You see, Kagome, ever since that fateful night at the carnival, I was stricken by new invigoration. I whizzed through all nine of my songs in only two hours!" I blinked. "So now I have until...five-thirty to spend the day with you. Whether it be by phone or in person, I shall have contact with you on today, the day of all days!"

"Why is today the...the day of all days?"

"Because it's the first day you've ever come to any of my concerts!"

"Oh. Hm. Well, anyway, if you really wanna spend the day with Sango and I...I guess you could come meet us at the Ryukyuan Outlet Mall. You know where that is, right?"

"Yeah! Sure!" He sounded very excited. Sango stared at me.

"You're going to invite your ex-boyfriend, Juun'rai Sanzenin, to the mall with us?"

"Um, duh, Sango." I covered the mouthpiece to grin, "If we do, he'll buy everything for us!"

"Oh, you're devious." Sango smirked.

"Make sure you wear a mask or something, now. We don't want to be mauled by anybody." I warned Juun.

"Gotcha! Um...where will you be?"

"At the huge water fountain in the middle, soon as you come in, in about ten minutes."

"Okay! Thank you, Kagome!"

"Bye, Juun'rai." I hung up, leaning back in my chair and sighing.

"That boy just doesn't know what to do with himself."

"Good thing he's not in love with anybody else, or we'd be pretty boned as far as tickets and stuff. I just don't get why he loves _you _of all people."

"Young Sango, when you become beautiful as I am, if ever, you'll understand." A vein burst in Sango's forehead and she noticeably gripped the steering wheel harder.

"So what are you trying to say, _Kagome_?" she ground out. "Don't forget who holds your life in her hands!"

"Oh! I mean...hehe..."

——————

Despite the packed parking lot, Sango managed to find a good spot. And luckily enough, it was right near the entrance. With matching smirks, we exited her car. I removed my shades, hanging them at the drop of my neckline.

"All right. We go in, get the _perfect _outfit, no takesies. Then we come back out. Make sure it's not too big, or too small. Also, it can't be so casual that you can wear it once a month, but not so formal that you only wear it this once. Make it something you can wear anytime you wanna blow someone away." I said gravely, as if we were on a secret mission.

"Right!" My stomach gurgled.

"But first...we eat." With an affirmative nod from Sango, we walked to the mall entrance.

Inside, I looked around for Juun'rai. I wasn't _really _gonna make him buy anything, but I guess it would be nice for him to tag along. I didn't have to look for long; the hyperactive singer called me out by my name. I looked in his direction, smiling sheepishly as he ran my way, grinning happily.

"Hi, Kagome." He said moonily, like he'd been admiring me from afar or something. Whenever he would talk like this to me in our college days, I would point this out, and he said, "Why admire you from afar when I can appreciate you up close?" That statement nearly had me swooning.

"Hello, Juun."

"Shh...in the mall, that's not my name."

"Well, then, what the hell is your name, Juun?" Sango snickered.

"My name is...uh...how about Inuyasha?"

"_WHAT_?!"

"Kidding, kidding!" he chuckled nervously, backing off at the venomous look in my eye. "Just joking...sheesh...Aoitsuki, then."

"...That name rings a bell..." I muttered. That is, other than the bell already ringing, labeled "This is what you considered naming Hakudoushi back when you were pregnant."

"It should. It's my middle name." My eyes widened. I was horrified. I was going to name my first son after my ex-boyfriend?! "Is there something wrong, Kagome?" I shook my head and smiled.

"Nah. Nothin's wrong, Aoitsuki." It didn't sound right, talking to Juun. But what could I do?

"Okay, then." He seemed to notice Sango for the first time. "Oh, my—I'm so sorry, I seem to have slighted you. Are you a friend of Kagome's?" Sango pinked, stammering incoherently.

"I-I, um, that is to say..." She took a deep breath and smiled at Juun'rai. "Yes, I am. I'm Sango. Pleased to meet you, J—I mean _Aoitsuki_."

"Hehehe!" Juun chuckled, shaking Sango's hand. I was sure she was going to scrape the dead skin off later, put it in a Petri, and sell it on eBay. "Honored to meet you, too, Sango-sama. Any friend of Kagome's is a friend of mine!"

"Is any mate of Kagome's a mate of yours?" I snickered.

"Your attempt at humor is feeble at best, sweetie. Stick to being sexy." Juun winked, releasing Sango's hand and putting his arms around us both. "_So_! Where are my two new favorite ladies headed for?" Sango must be thanking God that she met me last year.

"Actually, we were gonna go to the foodie court. I'm starving." I grinned, rubbing my stomach.

"Ah-ha! Say no more. I'll buy you breakfast."

"But Juun..." I tried. He silenced me with a look. "I mean _Aoitsuki_..." I grumbled. "We can afford it, y'know."

"Nonsense! ...Well, it's not nonsense that you can't afford it...I mean it's nonsense that you..can't afford it...I mean, it's _not _nonsense that you _can _afford it, I'm just being polite here. Stop me _anytime_."

"No thanks. I'm being entertained." Sango laughed.

"Let's just go to the food court and split it up 33-33-34, alright? Since I was the hungry one, I'll take the 34."

"I refuse to allow you two to pay for your own food. I'll buy it for you." Juun'rai assured. I sighed.

"Fine, _Aoitsuki_. If you insist. Because I know you won't shut up until I give you what you want." We started for the court. Juun leaned into my ear, whispering, "You still haven't technically given me what I want." He nipped at my ear, licking and kissing. I shuddered, trying to make it seem like he wasn't making an attempt at seducing me.

"And you still haven't shut up about it." I mumbled, pushing his head away. "Please, Juun'rai, don't do that."

"Why not?" He moved his arm from atop my shoulder to hook it around my torso and casually brush his fingers against my breast.

"You're evil, Juun'rai." I muttered, restraining another shiver at the delicate touch. "We've been through this multiple times. And besides, Sango's _right there_. We're probably making her feel like a third wheel."

"I can't imagine why. I'm sure she has a boyfriend or something. She's attractive."

"...I'm not going to, um, comment." I cleared my throat, feeling mildly jealous. "Hey, what happened with you and Katsumi?" I changed the subject, speaking in a louder tone.

"Who?"

"Uh...the kitsune hanyou I had you help."

"Oh, her. Well, it turned out that Shippou wasn't really sick, he just didn't want to work. But like an idiot, he was hanging out at the carnival. So when I busted him, I dumped the bitch—excuse my language—onto him. I figured they'd hit it off, since they were both kitsune, and therefore deceptive by nature. I wanted to catch up to you, but I wasn't _inuyoukai_, so I couldn't exactly trace your scent or anything." I looked at him. His tone when saying the word "inuyoukai" sounded slightly bitter.

_He could be jealous of Inuyasha._

It's not entirely improbable.

_He also seemed to be mocking us._

Us who?

_Inuyoukai._

But I'm not really an inuyoukai.

_I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about Inuyasha and I._

Oh. ...

_Don't get jealous. I don't want him._

Ah. But, uh, your mate resides in his body, and—

_Shut the hell up._

It was weird, though—I never pegged Juun'rai as the jealous type.

_Not openly, no, because he didn't want to smother you. But if you just use your senses, you can tell. There's a moderately-sized ball of envy in his heart._

Hm...like I said before, jealousy turns me on.

"Okay, here we are." Sango's voice brought us back to reality. Juun'rai and I looked in front of us. Atop the large opening that made the food court look like a hollowed-out box was a neon sign flashing "Food Court." And we did not already know that. Sango's phone rang. "Hold on...you guys go on." I shot her a deadly look, one which read "Leave me with this horny idiot and I'll slaughter you." But she only shrugged as she answered her cell and walked away to a bench near numerous machines. Juun wiggled his eyebrows at me, smiling toothily as he placed his arm around my waist and led me into the court.

"Don't worry, Kagome—I remember every single thing you like to eat for breakfast. Remember the stunt we pulled after watching that one episode of Neon Genesis?" I couldn't help but grin.

"Yeah...that week was one of the best I ever had." I sighed dreamily. Juun strolled up to the counter and said casually, "Yes, um, are you serving breakfast?"

"No, I'm sorry, sir, but breakfast ended at ten." _Damn! _Damn, damn, dingity dang dong! (AN: Maxine is my favorite character from Living Single. I'll leave the rest up to you.)

I sighed. Juun'rai looked at me, then back at the cashierwoman. Keyword: _woman_. This would affect his next move quite greatly.

"Are you sure you couldn't whip anything up back there?" He smiled, lifting his mask to reveal his face. The woman's eyes widened considerably and she stammered, "Oh, I-I'm sorry, Sanz—"

"Shh...nobody else can know that this is me. Just call me Higurashi-san." I glared at him, baring my teeth.

"Um...Higurashi-san, I mean...of course, f-for you, anything!" She ran to the back, screaming like a fangirl. I smacked my forehead.

"Goddamn it, Juun, I swear to _God_, I hate when you do that!"

"Aw, you know you love it." He lowered his voice. "You know I could've been, though?" I froze, but feigned stupidity.

"Could've been what?"

"I could have been your _husband_, Kagome." I blushed, lowering my head and averting my gaze. He was right. And, at the risk of sounding redundant, the cocky prick knew it well.

"I guess so. That is, _if _I wasn't already in love with Inuyasha. _If _you hadn't gone away for so long and left me to find somebody else. But then if you were my husband, I wouldn't've gotten to have Hakudoushi. I wouldn't've met Sango and Miroku and Kinamadare and all my other friends. I wouldn't've found out that I wanted a child and a family. And hell, I _probably _would've cheated on you _anyway_." I said coldly.

_...Now, I think you went a little too far with that one._

Well, hell, it's true!

_But you didn't have to say it out loud._

Juun looked at me, his azure eyes welling slightly. He gave a long sniffle and replaced his mask as the cashier came back.

"Okay, sir, breakfast is now available. What would you like?"

"You heard the lady, Kagome. What do...what do you want?" His voice was wavering a little, but I could tell that he was trying his damnedest to keep it straight.

"I'm not hungry anymore." I said simply, turning and leaving. I could feel Juun'rai tearful gaze burning into my back as I left, my chest pained with guilt.

——————

Juun'rai didn't follow me like I expected him to. Naturally, this made me feel even worse. Now I didn't even want to go to the concert. I told Sango about what I'd said to Juun while she changed into her normal clothes in the dressing room. A couple hours later, she'd finally settled on, for the concert, that is, a pair of white denim/spandex jeans, with little rhinestones running down the sides of the legs, a pair of black-and-white high-topped Filas, and a black cotton/polyester halter which read in blue glitter, white outlining each word, "_Can't Touch This_." My outfit was similar, an indication of just how badly I felt. However, I did feel well enough to get different colors. My jeans were blackish-blue, and my halter was a white midi-length bustier. Since I was sure I would be standing a lot, I decided to buy some sneakers, too—a pair of black-and-white suede Pumas! We looked pretty good, clothing-wise, but now it was time to go and get our hair done.

"Sango," I said as we sat down with our bags full of clothes, sipping Icees and dunking pretzel bites into hot cheese fondue, "what time is it?"

"Hmm..." Sango looked at her watch. "Some time after noon."

"Okay, so we have time."

"Time for what?" she asked as I whipped out my cell phone, looking through my recent calls. Aside from telling me that I needed to get out more (Another Note: This statement had nothing to do with that of my flamer. It was written much before he or she flamed me.), I was shown Juun'rai's cell phone number. Luckily, he hadn't used the hotel phone when he'd called me earlier. or I'd be screwed. I had to apologize to him, today, and not just because he'd fuck up at the concert if he was sad. He did say, after all, that I was his inspiration, and lately, I seemed to be the only one saddening him. After multiple rings...

"Hello?" His tone was miserable; listless, lacking its usual enthusiasm utilized by most circus monkeys.

"Juun'rai? This is Kagome."

"...Oh." I thought he was going to say something further, like... "What are you calling me for?" or "Haven't you made me suffer enough?" But his reticence only served to disconcert me even more.

"Listen...I'm really sorry for what I said. That was the bitchiest thing I could've ever said to you. I didn't mean it in any way, and...well, I apologize. I was a real flibbertigibbet." He chuckled on the other end and it made me smile. "Flibbertigibbet" was a word on our list of hated words, a list we made back in college.

"Yeah...I guess you kinda were. But I still love you. Ya gonzo flibbertigibbet." I laughed aloud. "Gonzo" was on the list, too. It made me think of garbanzo beans, which I hated. But the word garbanzo was a cool word.

"So does that mean you forgive me?"

"Yes, of course. But could you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I want you to meet me over in the Foot Locker. I have a surprise for you..." Vaguely, I wondered what it was, but my intuition—namely Seimegami—was flashing warning bells in my head. But then again...the miko side of me, the nice side which provoked me to apologize to Juun in the first place, reasoned that if I didn't go, he'd be heartbroken again.

"O...okay."

"See you later, Kagome."

"Bye, Juun..." I hung up, wondering whether I made the right decision.

_Probably not._

Thanks for your support.

"Hey...Sango...I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

"Hmm? Okay...but make sure you're back by one. Our hair appointment is at one thirty."

"I'll probably be back before then, don't worry." I rolled my eyes, and headed for the Foot Locker.

When I got there, I looked around for the familiar black-and-gray striped dress jacket to find him _waaaay _in the back, out of sight of the cameras, even.

_I wonder why._

I don't appreciate your sarcasm.

I walked his way—

_There's still time to back out._

—past the rows of size 5s, 6s, and 7s—

_Turn around, now, Kagome!_

—past the rows of eights, nines—

_If you go two sizes further..._

—and finally, I arrived to the tens and above, where Juun awaited me.

"Okay. So what did you—_mmph_!" I was abruptly cut off by Juun simultaneously dipping me and clashing his lips with mine.

_I told you..._

My limbs went limp and Juun'rai gently laid me upon the floor. I was too weak to retaliate, or to even get back up.

_I __**could **__help you with that, if your mind wasn't so blank!_

Well, maybe I don't want your help!

_(fake appalled gasp) Oh, really? Let's just see what Inuyasha has to say about this, then._

...You _bitch_. And I'm not referring to your canid heritage, either.

_I surmised that._

But I could not speak, for Juun'rai had our lips sealed like, if not tighter than, a bank safe. He straddled my body, not breaking the lip lock. Whereas my eyes had been lazily closed throughout the entire thing, when I felt this guy's pulsating erection, my eyes shot up.

_Well, well, well. You should've known not to start something you __**knew **__you couldn't finish._

I almost hate to say it...but you're right...

"Um..." I mumbled against his lips.

_I say nothing more._

"Wait...Juun'rai..." I pushed him away, despite my reluctance to do so. He looked at me as if nothing had even happened.

"Is something wrong, Kagome?" Again, I felt that sense of deja vu.

"Yes. Something is wrong with my soul and yours. I love you, Juun'rai—dearly so, but not enough to cheat on Inuyasha. He probably _still _hasn't truly forgiven me for kissing you all those other times. So, if it's all right with you, I'd like you to get up, please." He shrugged and did so, even helping me to my feet. I brushed off my clothing, blowing a sigh. Boy, was that hard to do.

"It's okay, 'cause that prolonged kiss was definitely enough to fuel me up for the rest of my life." He grinned, wiping lip gloss off of his mouth. "Ooh, strawberry."

"Strawberry-_kiwi_, thank you." I smirked. "I gotta get back to Sango, okay? You take your ass back to that hotel or to the concert hall, or whatever the hell."

"Okay." As I walked out, earning strange looks from the others—probably because of my mussed-up hair—, Juun called softly, "I love you, Kagome." I paused to smile.

"I love you, too, Juun'rai."

——————

Sango didn't question why I looked so complacent when I returned to her. All she said was "Let's go." So I followed her back to the car, wordless. It wasn't until we were halfway to the beauty salon that she cracked.

"Alright. That's it, 'cause you know it's killing me. What happened?"

"Nothing happened!" I lied. "We just talked it out, and forgave each other."

"My ass, you talked it out. Your lip gloss was smeared."

"What can I say? My lip gloss was cool; my lip gloss was poppin'." I shrugged nonchalantly. "I came into Foot Locker, and all the boys was stoppin'." Sango laughed.

"Good one."

_Yeah, right. You're too old to be quoting hip-hop lyrics._

I know you ain't talkin'.

"Seimegami just called me old, Sango."

"Say huh? ...But...you're younger than me." Sango's eye twitched.

_...Uh..._

"She says, oh, no, never mind."

"Hm." Sango huffed.

"What she meant to say was, Grandma Sango's not old."

"THIS COMING FROM A GODDESS THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD?!?!" Sango yelled, cutting the car left, to once again avoid a pedestrian.

Seimegami, perhaps you should stop angering the driver, hmm? Lest we both be pushing up chrysanthemums.

_Pushing up whats? I thought it was daisies._

Yeah, well, I hate daisies. They suck ass. I don't want no fuckin' daisies on my grave. That would be dishonourable to my spirit, and I would come back and haunt the asses who put 'em there.

_But who in their right minds would pay for chrysanthemums to put on __**dirt**_

My son, damn it! And whomever else I happen to conceive! "Listen, Sango, Seimegami says she's sorry, so don't kill us, alright?!" I said in an attempt to calm the raging girl.

"Okay, fine. But if one more joke is made at my expense, I swear, we're goin' on a one-way trip to _Ditchland_!" I gulped, clearing my throat rapidly.

Seimegami, if you don't wanna live in Ditchland for all eternity, I suggest you shut the hell up.

_Oh, __**I **__won't be living in Ditchland, baby—all I have to do is transfer myself to another vessel, and I'll be good._

Oh, you are a bitch.

_Why, thank you kindly._

——————

It seemed that Sango and I weren't the only ones gettin' our _herr _did. An assload of women were up in that salon, and I know there had to be a minimum of thirty. I glared at Sango, who shrugged.

"Yeah, but _we _got appointments." She smirked.

"I don't give a _damn _about y'all's appointment! I made an appointment two weeks ago in preparation for this day!" One woman yelled, and others agreed rather fervently.

"Um, hold up a damn minute here! I don't care about your little preparations and shit, because we wasn't talking to yo' fat ass!" I snapped my fingers at the woman in defense. Who the hell was she to be gettin' all up in our business?

"Oh, the hell no, you ain't talkin' to me! Bitch, I'll pull your damn weave slam outta ya damn skull!"

"Look. I don't even have to be wasting my time with you. I frankly don't even wanna go to this damned concert." I chuckled. All eyes turned onto me. There was a yell and I smelled burnt hair. "What? I'm serious! Juun'rai Sanzenin is not all that, okay?" My cell phone rang, breaking the silence like thin ice, and I answered it. "Hello?"

"Hi, Kagome!" My eye twitched. What a wonderful time to call me, _Juun_!

"...Hi, buddy. Hey, listen, there's been some difficulties, and I can't get my hair done, apparently, so we'll have to give you your tickets ba—"

"No, Kagome!" I was startled at the urgency in his voice.

"Kagome, who is that? The entire salon is listening in on the conversation!" Sango muttered frantically.

"It's _you-know-who_. The one who gave us the tickets." I cleared my throat. "Look, dude, don't worry about it, alright? Inuyasha will probably be glad for it, and I'm sure Haku-chan is tearing his hair out."

"Kagome, I can't...I can't do this concert without you!" The demonesses' ears perked up at hearing this.

"Concert?!" They yelled. I slapped my forehead.

"Who are you talking to?"

"It's my damn cell phone, and—"

"She's talking to Juun'rai Sanzenin." Sango smirked. I turned blazing purple eyes onto her.

"Shut your damn mouth." I hissed.

"Kagome, where are you? I'll be right down there and set things straight."

"Boy, you come down here and I'll kill you! Or better yet, I'll have Inuyasha do it! I'll call you later." I hung up on him and stashed the cell back in my pocket. "And _you_. You traitorous skank, how dare you?!"

"Shit, I wanna get my damn hair done." Sango scoffed. "Yes, my friend here had relations with Juun'rai Sanzenin, and what can I say? He can't get enough of her! He's in love with her, and why? Hell, look at her! She's hot, she can sing, there's a _sex goddess _residing in her body—who wouldn't love her?" God, how I wanted to die.

"Sango, I fucking hate the hell out of you, you know that?" I sighed, massaging my temples.

"You're lying." One scoffed, and the others agreed.

"Yes, she was lying—she's a pathological liar. We gotta get her checked out for that."

"Hypocrite." Sango muttered.

"I'll be that today, sweetie!" I trilled. "Let's get the hell outta here." Hopefully, we could make an escape before Juun'rai actually did make his appearance.

Unfortunately, hope was not on my side today.

Juun'rai burst through the double doors, grinning like the idiot he is. My lip trembled and I tried to cry, but no tears would come out. Sango's lip trembled, too, but for a much more different reason, because she turned around and let out a loud, triumphant laugh in the faces of all the flabbergasted women.

"_**HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!**_Oh, excuse me, ma'am, is this your lip? I think it dropped! HA-HA!" Sango cackled.

"Juun'rai." I said quietly.

"Yes, Kagome?" he said eagerly.

"Why are you here?"

"I followed your car!" Son-of-a-bitch, he even sounded proud.

"_Why?_"

"I was in the parking lot, and you sounded like you were having a hard time getting your hair done. Both of you can come and have your hair done by my own stylist."

"Okay!" Sango grinned, but I held up my hand to silence her. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I said, "Juun, I just...don't...even go there. Okay? You and I both know that clout doesn't impress me."

"But I-I'm not trying to—"

"Juun, please let me finish." I sighed. "I told you not to come here, yet you did anyway. You are going to get me in some mega trouble, you know that?"

"Okay. I'm sorry, Kagome. I can't help it, though—I _have _to be around you!" he said hysterically.

"I would appreciate it if you would leave, please. We can talk about this later." He nodded, and made like he was turning to leave, but the sneaky bastard went and kissed me, in front of all these women!" I was utterly helpless to the feel of his expert lips, so what did I do? Stood right there and took it.

_Oh-ho, you are screwed in the head._ _I suggest you make him leave, like __**right now**__, because I hate to tell you, but you've been caught on candid camera, babe. _My eyes widened and I pushed him away and out of the door.

"Sango, we are, um...we're leaving." I cleared my throat, grabbing Sango's hand to drag her the hell out of there.

"_Ohhhh! _So that's why you were rejecting Juun'rai's advances." The hated voice of my bitter rival rang out from the crowd of still staring women. My eye twitched and I turned back around, dropping Sango's hand.

"Kobayashi, you _bitch_. You obviously didn't get enough of your last asskickin', didja?" I growled.

"Well, now that was a mere technicality." She scoffed. "I didn't know that I was fighting both a lesbian _and _a starfucker(this term was used by Sarah Silverman once: her exact words were "You're a star and I'm a starfucker!)." Ooh...! _Fuck_, she just made me so _mad_! "And looky, looky! I've got a few little memoirs of the whole affair!" She held up her cell phone, and there it was, a picture of Juun'rai and I kissing. I growled aloud.

"I'll fucking murder you!" I made a mad leap at her, and it surprisingly made contact. The women crowded around, hooting and hollering. The apparent owner was yelling for us to break it up. I punched the hell out of Katsumi, not caring how I looked. Sango pushed past the crowd and pulled me off of the bitch. I glared nastily at Katsumi, who coughed up a little blood, but still had the nerve to keep smirking.

"Murder me all you like, but the, uh, proof's in the proverbial pudding here, _Kags_." I growled, hating that woman _and _that nickname with every fiber of my being.

"Hey, whoa, Kagome, what's this freaky thing going on with you?" Sango asked.

"I must be transforming." I grunted.

"Transforming?" Katsumi scoffed. "That's so geeky, and yet so _you_, Higurashi."

"Sango, we're going to leave right now. Because I don't feel like having blood on my claws today." I huffed, turning on my heel, Sango hurrying behind me.

"Now, wait until a certain Inuyasha sees _this_." I didn't know what happened the next moment, but I do know that I was suddenly consumed with blind fury. It was a good thing that Katsumi was at least a hanyou, or she would've probably been dead.

——————

I drummed my fingers angrily on the outside of Sango's car door, grumbling to myself. I had calmed enough to reform into my human form.

"Kagome, don't let that whore faze you. I don't know who she is, but apparently neither of you like each other very much."

"Like each other?" I scoffed. "I kicked her ass just last week, and she was probably purposely put on this earth to make my life miserable. I've hated her since college."

"So..." Sango sighed. "Guess the concert's off, huh?"

"I'm...I don't know anymore. But I do know this; if Katsumi shows those pictures to Inuyasha, she's gonna _wish _she were dead. However, if we do go to the concert, I say screw the hair and the nails. We can improvise."

"You're right. We've already got the clothes. It's just...damn, 'cause today was supposed to be a girls' day out. Miroku's at work today, and Inuyasha's taking care of Hakudoushi. If we go to your house, he's bound to ask questions, so what do we do now?"

"I don't know. I'm too pissed to even see straight right now. How about we go to a spa or something? We got the money, don't we?"

"Sure, I guess. A spa, and we can stay there for the rest of the day."

"Okay. That's cool." Sango looked at me carefully.

"Kagome, do you still even _want _to go to the concert tonight?"

"I don't know yet. I'll probably be able to figure all of it out once I calm down a little more. In the meantime, can you crank up the radio, please? Music sedates me."

"Alright." She turned up the volume, and my "favorite" song, "Party Like A Rockstar" began to play. My eye twitched as Sango yelled out, "I make it rain from the center of my giya-tah!" I stared at her.

"What..in the _fuck_...is a fucking..._giya-tah_?!"

"That's what he sounds like. It's supposed to be guitar, but he goes giya-tah. It's funny as hell." Sango grinned.

"Please, Sango. For the sake of my _life_, please turn the station." I sighed.

"Okay, okay." Now a much better song was playing—Big Girls Don't Cry, by Fergie.

"Thank you kindly."

——————

By the time we got to the spa, I was calm enough to decide that I wanted to go to the concert. Of course, Sango was all ecstatic, but all I did was roll my eyes. It really wasn't that big of a deal to me.

"Yeah! I _KNOW _it's not a big deal to you, because you know Juun'rai Sanzenin _personally_!" Sango hissed as we got the kinks blasted out of our joints.

"It wouldn't matter to me no damn way!" I scoffed emphatically. "I mean...to tell the truth, I don't really know any of his songs." Her eyes widened at me.

"Ka_-__**go**__-_me. I am in appall."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"Well, luckily for you, I have every song Juun'rai Sanzenin has ever made before, so listen to them all once or twice, and let your demon powers implant the lyrics in your brain." I shook my head as she handed me her earphones and her cell. "Heh, it's funny because all of 'em seem to relate to you. Well, a good bit, anyway." I quirked an eyebrow, then saw exactly what she meant when I noticed my name in one of Juun'rai's songs. Called "Hey There, Kagome." Huh. I scrolled down and clicked on it, and therein was a soft guitar intro. Wasn't bad.

"_Hey there, Kagome, what's it like in New York City_

_I'm a thousand miles away, but girl, tonight you look so pretty, yes, you do_

_Times Square can't shine as bright as you_

_I swear it's true..._" I tried to hide my smile and blush from Sango's knowing eyes, but I couldn't. It was just so sweet! Somewhat off, since a bitch ain't even _in _New York City, but the gesture is sweet, overall.

"Uh-huh. See? You have to know the lyrics, 'cause we'll be in the front seats, and—and I've seen this happen before—he'll most likely be putting the microphone in your face for you to sing the remaining lyrics!!!!"

"Lemme guess. Family Guy." I said dryly.

"So?" she huffed. I gave a scoffing laugh, then tuned back into—literally—my song.

"_Oh, it's what you do to me_

_Oh, it's what you do to me_

_Oh, it's what you do to me_

_Oh, it's what you do to me_

_What you do to me..._

_Hey there, Kagome_

_I know times are gettin' hard_

_But just believe me, girl_

_Someday I'll pay the bills with this guitar_

_We'll have it good_

_We'll have the life we knew we would_

_My word is good_

_Hey there, Delilah_

_I've got so much left to say..._" I sighed as the rest of the song played.

_Well, the song's at least partially accurate. _Seimegami suggested. _**You **__have the life you knew you would. I dunno about Juun'rai. He has somewhat of the life he knew he would._

No. I never thought I'd end up with Inuyasha for a mate, much less Hakudoushi for a son or even Sango for a friend. I just really badly wanted those things, and was obviously unstable enough to believe they could be substituted with dozens upon dozens upon dozens of men at my disposal.

And yeah, Juun'rai really badly wanted to sing, but I know he wanted to be with me, too, probably even more. If everything unconnected to Inuyasha's sudden reappearance in my life last year were to such disappear, and I lost all memory of it, I'm sure Juun'rai would have been the best boyfriend I could ever wish for. But even a bedlamite like myself knows that it wouldn't've mattered, because I'd still be obsessing over Inuyasha, and would've all but cheated on the poor guy anyway.

_Aw, you're learning things. Well, can you now see how you were back when you __**were **__obsessing over Inuyasha?_

Huh? Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?

_...Yeah. Now that Juun'rai can't have you, he's pretty much dedicating every aspect of his life to you._ _I mean, damn—the guy pretty much named a __**song **__after you! How much more loving can you __**get**_

A lot, but that's not the point, is it?

——————

And finally...we got to the concert. After a long, long time of quasi-misery, this damned concert was finally here. And it better be worth the motherfucking effort.

Needless to say, it was pretty damn packed up in there. If you looked at the bouncers at the front, you'd see they were having a hell of a time keeping the ticketless out. I had to chuckle to myself in the front row. Ah, the young, desperate, and without connections.

They might as well have not had any fucking seats in the place, because everyone, including my friend, was standing up, jumping in excitement. The guy wasn't even on the stage yet, and the bitches wouldn't shut the hell up. I think I was the only one sitting down. I felt slightly bored. If Juun didn't make this concert worth all of the shit we had to put up to make sure I got here, I was gonna murder him slowly.

"Kagome, you idiot, get up and scream!!!" Sango shouted at me.

"Fuck no. I've seen him before, fucked him before, I'll survive. You've seen him, too—what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is, I don't know him like you do, so it woulda been a big deal for me anyway! Oh, look, look, he's coming out!!!" I rolled my eyes and watched Juun'rai step out from behind the curtains. I yawned a bit. Cell phones were already being taken out to take pictures of him. Whatever.

I noticed that he had a bit of a slump in his walk, so I decided to humor him and smile as he walked right in front of me. He stared in disbelief for a slight second, then was back to his old self, grinning at the entire crowd with a mic in hand.

"Hold up a minute. Now...I could've sworn...I was in a concert hall, not church!" I chuckled, while the others roared with laughter. I could see in his eyes that he was happy to see the laughter in mine. "That's so much better. With this first song..." The band in the back began playing a lengthened intro to "I Miss You," a song I instantly recognized from Sango's collection. I blinked. "I'm gonna remind everyone of how I know they felt when that special one just up and walked out of your life." Sango smiled down at me, and I blushed intensely. Juun chuckled, looking dead at me as he began singing.

"_I miss you_

_I'm talkin' to you, baby..._" He winked and pointed at me in particular. I had to grin.

"_I miss you..._

_I miss you_

_I'm talkin' to you, baby_

_I miss you_

_We used to talk_

_And laugh all night, girl_

_What happened to those days?_

_Did they all just fade away?_

_Holdin' you in my arms_

_Made me feel so happy_

_Then you said you had to go_

_What's wrong?_

_Baby, I need to know..._" I could do nothing but stare dreamily at him as he sang such heartbreaking words to me.

_Okay! Damn! So baby boy can sing. No big deal! I bet Inuyasha will sing for you if you ask him to._

It wouldn't be the same, though...I love Inuyasha dearly, and once this concert is over, I will be forgetting any of it ever happened. But for tonight? I was gonna be enraptured by Juun'rai's wonderful voice.

The harmonizers took over the chorus, while Juun adlibbed.

"(_I miss you) Oh, yes, I do_

_(I'm talkin' to you, baby_) _Hear me when I say_

(_I miss you_) _I miss you, yes, I do_

_Yes, I do _(_I miss you) Oh_

(_I'm talkin' to you, baby_) _I'm talkin' to you_

(_I miss you_) _Only to you, baby_—" The music flipped into a steady drum beat.

"Oh, shit! I _love _this song!" Sango cheered, along with the other thousands of women.

"...Why? From what I heard of this song, the very first verse is sung by a woman, and I don't see any sauntering out here."

"Damn, Kagome, you're stupid as fuck! Every time he sings a song with a woman in it, he picks someone out of the crowd!"

"Well, shit, then why make the damn song?!" I panicked. Oh, no. I _had _to smile at him! If only...I...could...sink into the floor!

The harmonizers began the chorus.

"_Sunday, Monkey, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday love_

_Sunday, Monkey, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday love_

_Sunday, Monkey, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday love_

_Sunday, Monkey, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday love_..." I braced myself for the limelight blinding me, but was surprised when the band prolonged the instrumental.

"So tell me, who out there...wants to be _my _Saturday love?!" Juun laughed. The result damn near deafened me. Nice going, _Juun_.

"Better get ready for that light, Kagome, 'cause you know it's all you in a minute!" Sango cackled. I gulped, getting to my shaky feet.

Please calm me down, Seimegami. I can't afford to embarrass myself on national television.

_Just use your miko powers. Concentrate on calming things._

I did as she said, and just when the spotlight shone on me, I could look Juun right in the eye as he smiled at me. He held out his hand and helped me up onto the stage. I scanned over the crowd, and smirked because of all the astonished haters. Probably surprised I wasn't trying to kill Juun for his drawers.

"You know this song, right?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I do." I smirked. "You just don't worry about that, cutie." I added with a wink, then took the microphone and sang my little half-demon heart out!

"_When I think about...you_

_My feelings can't explain_

_Why after all this time_

_My heart still feels pain..._" Juun looked pretty amazed that I could sing. I heard Sango cheering the loudest for me, and when I looked a bit closer into the crowd, I even saw Tobushikai wolf-whistling. I grinned and continued.

"_When I look at you_

_Memories of love_

_Like no one before_

_You stay on my mind..._" In came the harmonizers with the bridge, and I actually began ad-libbing.

"(_Special feelings, special time_) _Always so special _

(_I was yours and you were mine_) _Made for each other_

(_All the good I won't forget_) _You will stay on my mind_

(_Saturday, the day we met_)

_For always and forever_

_You will be my Saturday love_..."

Juun'rai and I did the chorus together, and this time, the women weren't so much haters as they were impressed with my singing prowess. Heh. Oh, yes, baby, this chica right here can _sing_.

"_Sunday, Monkey, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday love_

_Sunday, Monkey, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday love_

_Sunday, Monkey, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday love_

_Sunday, Monkey, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday love_..." I stood there, beaming, as Juun'rai now sang directly to me. He almost made me forget that this whole event was on pay-per-view, but I didn't care anymore. I briefly wondered the time, because if I wasn't back home by eleven...I shuddered to think what would happen. But I couldn't very well just walk right off the damn stage, not when the whole thing was _televised_! No, I had to stick it out, whether I wanted to or not.

_And I'm __**positive **__that Inuyasha will believe that entire sick excuse._

Oh, get a life.

"_When I look at you_

_Memories of love_

_Like no one before_

_You stay on my mind.._." This time, it was Juun'rai's turn to adlib, and I was just soaking up every moment of it until it was my turn to sing again. "Sing with me!" He pointed the mic at the crowd, who happily sang,

"_Special feelings, special time_ _(Always__ so special) _

(_I was yours and you were mine_) _Made for each other, girl_

(_All the good I won't forget_) _Stay on my mind_

(_Saturday, the day we met_) _Girl, you know I'll never leave you behind_

_For always and forever_

_You will be my Saturday love_..." The music suddenly stopped, and at the finalizing drum beat, Juun'rai went acapella. Yes, this song was more of a favorite of mine—Love Makes Things Happen.

"_You never know_

_You never know it_" He pointed to me.

"_You never know_

_You never, never, never, never, never know_

_No, no, no, no-oh_" We harmonized.

"_You never know..._" After his words, the drummer dished out something moderately simple, and I waited for the actual music to play before singing my own words.

"_Deep in your heart_

_Love has many ways_

_Of touching your emotions, taking control of you_

_And even in thought_

_Love can make you change_

_There's no way of controlling love_

_When it's part of you..._"Juun then took over.

"_Well, you could be a married man with two kids and a good woman_

_And you could give your heart and soul, I swear it don't mean nothing_

'_Cause love can pull you deep into a spell..._

_It will spin your mind around like a carousel, oh_

(harmonizers) _I'm tellin' you, love_

_Makes things happen_

_You never know where it's comin' from_

_You never know who you're gonna love _(_Who you're gonna love_)

_I'm telling you, love_

_Makes things happen (Makes it...)_

_You never know what it's gonna do (Never know)_

_Whenever true love takes over you_...(_Ooh..._)"

"(Juun'rai) _There's never a time_

'_Cause love will let you know_

_Love appears at the worst_

_And even the best of times_"

"(together) _Takes over your mind_

_Your heart is not your own_"

"(Juun'rai) _There's no way of controlling love_

_It controls your life..._"

"(Kagome) _Well...you could be a faithful girl_

_With a good heart and good intentions_ (Well, well)

_And you could never leave your home_

(together) _I swear there ain't no_ _prevention_ (_No, no_)

(Kagome) _'Cause love can pull you deep into a spell_

(together) _It will spin your mind around like a carousel, oh..._" The beat switched up to something with a more solemn flow. This was a very heartwrenching song.

"(Juun'rai)_ Oh, oh, oh, yeah_

_Oh..._

_Oh..._

_Oh..._

_Oh..._

_Oh, oh, yeah_... _(Emotional)_

_I always dreamed that everything would be okay with me and you_

_I was wrong_

_When I look into your eyes, I didn't see all the things I used to see_

_What's goin' on?_"

"(Kagome)_ You gave me reason to believe that we were always meant to be_

_But now I see_

_You were wrong_

_You can't keep runnin' back to me with all those_

(together) _Baby, baby pleases_

_No more_

_No more... _(Never imagined)"

"(harmonizers) _Never imagined you would be a faded picture_

_I'm emotional_

(Juun'rai) _I'm emotional, oh..._

(harmonizers) _It's all believing_

_No deceiving_

_It's official_

_I'm emotional_

(Juun'rai) _So emotional, oh..._"

"(Kagome) _I can't forget_

_That night I saw you in the corner after dark_

_You were wrong_

_Slow dancing on the floor_

_While I was watching from the door_

_So hurt_

_There you were..._

_You gave me reason to believe_

_That we were always meant to be_

_But now I see_

_You were wrong_

_You can't keep runnin' back to me_

_With all those baby, baby pleases_

_No more_

_No more..._" As soon as I stopped singing, the music stopped, then crescendoed into the driving beat of Figure It Out. I really badly felt like dancing, but if I did, Juun'rai would probably try to dance with me, and it was already bad enough I was singing with the guy. I didn't need Inuyasha killing the guy too badly.

—————— —————— —————— —————— —————— ——————

FNC: And thus ends this incredibly long chapter, the likes of which will probably never be written again by the likes of me. Hell, for a chapter that long, I expect twenty more reviews (or more) before I next update! You people better damn appreciate this brain sewage, too! It took me, literally, _months _to finish this chapter!

Also, here's a fun extra: story-long dedication to the person or people who can find out original people who sung the four songs.

Clue 1: They're all songs from either the nineties or somewhere around '02.

Clue 2: You can Google the lyrics if you want.

Whosoever can correctly label the artists for these songs will have the rest of the story dedicated to them! It will probably be over in about five chapters, I dunno. I got major plans for this thing, heh.

REVIEW!


	22. Chapter 22

FNC: Well, you've waited. And waited. And even reviewed. I fully appreciate the long reviews I got from most, and even the short ones I got from some. And now, dedication time!

I'll give a chapter to Kouga's Archi, since she did get one, and the same goes to Brinvixen and Kaggs. So this chapter is all theirs! Next is KryshiiBabii, who gets this chapter, and all consecutive chapters except the last chapter, because she got all but one. So congratulate her! And last not certainly not least, the story-long dedication goes to YashaGirl12! She made _one _tiny mistake, though. The second song was by Aaron Hall, babe, but it's okay, 'cause you did good anyway! Hope you like this chapter!

Oh, yeah, and...KUMO-CHAN, YOU COULD'VE AT LEAST PUT DOWN THE NAMES!!!!! You're lazier than me!

(But I still love ya, chick! In fact, I love all of you!)

"Wow..." I said dreamily yet tiredly, as I plopped on the couch backstage in Juun'rai's couch. It was ten eighteen, a perfectly reasonable time, and it meant I could chill out with Juun—purely platonically, of course—for at least half an hour before heading back home and still have time to go home without breaking Inuyasha's curfew of eleven o'clock. "That was..."

"It's awesome, isn't it?" Juun grinned, tossing me a bottle of water. I barely caught it.

"Damn, I'm tired. How do you do it?"

"Practice, Kagome. An assload of it." We both chuckled. There was a knock on the door. "Come in, Toshihiro." A man who I presumed was Juun's manager peeked in, a huge, surprisingly non-shit eating grin on his face.

"Kid, that was your best performance yet! Fucking wonderful, especially once you brought up this beauty!" I was too exhausted to blush.

"Thank you kindly, sir."

"Please, tell me your name!"

"Kagome, sir."

"Kagome and Juun'rai—that sounds like a duet in the making!" I blinked.

_...I have no comment whatsoever._

"Um...a duet?"

"Hell yes, miss! You have the voice of an _angel_—a _goddess_, even!" I couldn't help it; I laughed. Juun snickered a bit, too. "What? What's the joke?"

_...Again...(snicker) no comment._

"Never mind, Toshihiro-san. It's more of an inside thing."

"Well, anyway, normally, I wouldn't do this stuff right off the bat, but you sing so beautifully that I just have to ask you—would you like to join our record label?" I choked on the water, which, unluckily enough, was carbonated. Tears sprung to my eyes and Juun came over and thumped me on the back.

"Thank you!" I rasped, then turned to Toshihiro, wiping my eyes. "I'm sorry about that. I was just...um, overwhelmed. Sorry. So, um, what did you say again?"

"C'mon, Kagome. You have a talent for blowing up a mic. Why not exploit it?" I nodded slowly, seeing reason in this. "Hey, we'll be in town for two more days. Think on it, and get back to me when you've decided. But you better do it quick, because on Saturday, we're gone, okay?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Toshihiro left the room and I sat back in the couch, staring blankly at the wall adjacent me.

"Boy, Kagome, Toshihiro must really like you to compliment you so much. So are you gonna do it?"

"I d-I d-I d-I don't know..." I stammered nervously. "I'm worried about what Inuyasha will say...I don't know if he'll let me do it...and what about my son?"

"Well, you've got, like, two days to think on it before we head over to Italy."

"Ooh, Italy? That sounds so wonderful."

"If you enjoyed yourself tonight, you should come with us to Italy, it's wonderful there."

"..Well..." I sighed, getting to my aching feet. "I'll have to dwell on it. Meantime, I need to go home and soak my feets. Them bitches is howling." Juun grinned.

"Okay, see ya later, Kagome." He waved. I gave a half-assed wave back and walked out the door.

——————

"Well, Kagome, I think it's pretty safe to say that you, um...oh, what's the phrase? Oh, yeah. _**KICKED LIVE, PAY-PER-VIEW **__**ASS **_up there tonight! Damn, chica, I didn't know you could sing like that!" Sango laughed giddily as she drove me back home.

"Apparently, or I wouldn't have the blisters on my feet to prove it. I'm damn glad I wore sneakers instead of heels, else I would be very royally fucked."

"But _think _about it, Kagome. All the people too poor to afford concert tickets, or the people who have no hookups—like you and me, evidently—_saw you on that stage tonight_. They _saw you_, and they heard your voice flowing through the speakers. They'd fuckin' love you if you went with the record deal."

"I'm sure they would, but what about Inuyasha?"

"What about him?!" Sango scoffed heavily. "Shit, I'll tell you—if I could sing, I would _not _be worrying about what Miroku thinks."

"Yeah, but are you forgetting your _child_?" My friend deflated.

"Oh, yeah...damn. A lot of women take their kids with them when they travel. 'Sno biggie."

"_Yes_, biggie, Sango, because we're talking traveling world-round here! Most female singers these days do not _have _children—they do not _have _nonfamous boyfriends or spouses! Look at Ben and J. Lo! Well, look at what they used to be, anyway. Look at Angelina Jolie and, um, what's-his-face! They're all famous, ain't they?!"

"So? You and Inuyasha can be a famous couple too." I sighed, smacking my forehead.

"Sango, you really do not understand, do you?"

"Not well."

"Okay, listen here. You know how the tabloids talk, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"If I sing with Juun'rai—who, may I remind you, is in _love _with me—but I'm mated to Inuyasha, it will start being said that Juun'rai and I are having some kind of "secret affair." I don't think I have to simplify it any further."

"Yeah...I see your point now. Ouch, huh?"

"Very much so. But then...on the other hand...I had a _lot _of fun up there, singing and dancing."

"Uh-huh, and you can make a hell of a lot of money having fun, too. You can support your family so much better!"

"But knowing Inuyasha, he'll probably feel emasculated, and think people are thinking he's mooching off his wife, and he'll get all pissy and bitchy."

"Kagome, can I tell you something?"

"What?"

"Bitch, you worry too damn much. Just calm down about it all. You can't make up your mind right 'cause you keep worryin' about it." She pulled up behind my car and stopped. "Now...go in there...and do whatever you have to do to get both of your minds made up, and...call me in the morning." I rolled my eyes.

"Bye, Sango." I grinned, getting out and heading to the front door.

Taking a deep breath, I unlocked and opened the door. "Inuyasha? I'm home!" The poor thing was on the couch, asleep. "Aw. He waited up for me. How sweet." I went over and lightly tapped him on the shoulder, blowing in his ear. He jolted awake, looking around wildly. I smiled at him. "Hi, Inuyasha." He blinked, wiping his eyes.

"Um...I wasn't waiting up for you. I was just trying to put the kid to sleep, and then _I _went to sleep."

"So where's Hakudoushi?"

"In his newly installed bed. Miroku came and helped me put it up."

"So where's _he_?"

"Uh, at home, I presume. He was watching the concert with me." I froze slightly, and chuckled nervously.

"A-ha-ha-ha! It was a very nice concert, wasn't it? Well, I am bushed. I need to go soak these dogs and go to sleep. See ya!" I tried to run off, but Inuyasha pulled me onto the couch by my waist. He sat me on his lap and murmured in my ear, "Koishii, you never told me you could sing and dance like that."

"Yeah, well, you never asked. And...that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about...but...it's late and my feet hurt and I'm very funky. So I'll have to talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Do you want me to run you a nice, hot bath?" I smiled gratefully at him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Inuyasha. That would be nice."

After my bath, I felt and smelled much, much better. I put on my PJ's, went into Hakudoushi's room to kiss him good night, and headed into bed. Inuyasha must have had the sheets washed, because as soon as I got under the covers, I was overwhelmed by the sweet scent of baby powder and roses.

"Oh, wow..." I breathed, feeling like something straight out of a Febreeze commercial as I inhaled the comforter. As soon as Inuyasha got out of the shower, I was going to screw him silly. ...Well, maybe not, 'cause I was still tired as hell, and according to the clock on the bedside, it was ten sixteen.

_And what does that have to do with anything?_

Nothing, I'm just really tired. I yawned, and before I knew it, I was dead to the world.

——————

The next morning, I didn't really wanna wake up. It made me wonder just how the hell Juun'rai was able to manage a career and not have bags under his eyes. Maybe he snorted.

_Wow. And just when I thought you couldn't get any more retarded, you go and yet again prove me wrong._

Yeah, well, that's what morning will do to you. I grunted as I sat up, stretching my arms in the air.

"Wonder where Inuyasha is?"

_How about registering the smell of eggs?_

I sniffed the air and she was right. He was cooking? Wow. I went to take a quick shower, and threw on some clothes before heading downstairs. Inuyasha had my son sitting upright on the couch, watching some show. I went over and hugged him.

"Whatcha watching here, Haku-kun?" I grinned. Hakudoushi was silent. "O-kay, then." I turned to the television screen to watch.

"…have with us today one of the critically acclaimed singers in the modern world. He gave an outstanding concert last night, which I'm sure almost everyone saw—give it up for Juun'rai Sanzenin!" I blinked as Juun made his way into the guest chair, laughing happily at all the joyful screams and thunderous applause.

"Inuyasha…? Just what in the hell do you have my son watching in here?"

"It's that local talk show, babe. Y'know, _Noriko_." He called from the kitchen. "Why do you ask?"

"…No reason."

"Juun'rai, I've got to tell you. That concert last night was just _awesome_!" The crowd laughed and Juun'rai chuckled.

"I'm glad you liked it, Noriko. Did you get to come?"

"No, I had to watch it on pay-per-view. It was sold out! But, Juun'rai, that's beside the point. The young woman you brought up on stage; you sang together like you knew each other! Is there a relationship between you?" The audience ooh'ed provocatively, and I blushed horribly. God, please let him tell the truth…!

"Well, Noriko, we do know each other. Her name is Kagome. We go way back, but to be honest, we're just friends."

"Oh, isn't that sweet?" Hakudoushi looked up at me as Noriko said this, as if to say "Is that guy talking about you?"

"Yes, he is. And I'm glad he put it that way." I smiled.

"Did you know that she could sing so well?"

"Actually, no, I didn't. She surprised me with her beautiful voice. I wasn't expecting to be upstaged!" he grinned, rubbing the nape of his neck. The audience laughed. "My producer offered her a record deal right off the bat after the concert."

"Has she gotten back to you on that? Because I think I would love to hear Kagome's incomparable voice on a CD, wouldn't you all?" The audience clapped a great deal and I felt so embarrassed. Now I _had _to accept the deal; I mean, _Noriko _liked my voice. Noriko's, like, the Oprah of Japan!

"Well, no, but I agree fully with you. If she accepts our deal, expect to hear her on my next CD, _Make You Feel Beautiful_."

"Yo, food's ready!" Inuyasha called. My smile never wavered as I picked up Hakudoushi and headed into the kitchen.

——————————————

After eating, we all headed to Sango's house. I was sure she had seen _Noriko _this morning, and would most likely be mentioning it. In very excited and happy tones.

Of course, I was right.

"Oh, my _God_! Inuyasha, you do not know how lucky you are, my good friend." Miroku grinned. "Listen here, my man. Are you seeing _Noriko_? Huh? Because your girl is being talked about the whole damn hour."

"Say what?" Inuyasha chuckled, sitting down on the couch beside his friend.

"He's surprisingly right. And that doesn't happen very often. Hey there, Haku-kun." Sango smiled, smoothing back Hakudoushi's long, silver hair. The boy gave her a brief smile in return, then took his hand from mine and ran to sit beside Kinamadare on the floor, who was interestedly watching television. "Even Kin-chan knows it. All she's been doing since I turned to _Noriko_ is asking, "Is Juun'rai talking about Auntie Kagome?" Apparently, she can't believe it."

"Frankly, neither could I when I saw it." I admitted, sitting beside her.

"What's he been saying? I don't pay attention to the little toad." Inuyasha yawned.

"Something along the lines of Kagome being on his next CD if she accepts their record deal."

"He—the—_what?!_" Inuyasha gaped. The two kids looked at him. I bit my lip. Is that bad or good…? "Goddamn! That's wonderful, Kagome, why didn't you tell me?!" This time, everyone looked at him.

"Okaa-chan, I thought you said Uncle Inuyasha would be not happy about it." Kinamadare said innocently. I snickered.

"Well, looks like I just got proven hella wrong." Sango grinned.

"That was what I was gonna talk to you about. Juun and his manager, Toshihiro, they said I sounded good, and they offered me a record deal last night after I sang. I haven't gotten back to them yet, because I wanted to consult with you first…" I shrugged.

"Well, I mean, how long do you have?"

"They're supposed to be leaving tomorrow, and they'll take me with them to Italy if I accept today."

"So you'd be leaving Japan?" Miroku asked.

"Yeah…I don't know for how long, either…Juun's apparently on tour…and I wanted to see what you all thought about it."

"Wow…so you'll be leaving, huh?"

"If I take their offer, that is. I mean, I don't have to if you guys don't want me to. It doesn't matter to me."

"Kagome, what kind of friends would we be if we didn't allow you to do something you clearly enjoy?" Sango winked.

"Really?"

"Sure! As long as you keep in touch, and don't forget the little people when you get famous." Miroku grinned.

"Oh, never that. You know I'm not like that." I hugged them both and went over to kiss Kinamadare on the cheek. She giggled. "Kin-chan, Auntie Kagome is going away for a while, but I promise, I'll be back to see you, okay?"

"Yuh-huh!" she nodded.

"Well…" I sighed, straightening up. "I better call Juun'rai."

* * *

FNC: And so, it is accepted. If you wanna see what happens in next chapter, ya better review!

Oh, yeah, and I almost forgot. Thank you very much, XxInuKagsLoverXx, for your support. I never imagined I'd get so much defense from people for just one flame. Ah, well, what're you gonna do, huh? Much love, people.


	23. Chapter 23

-1FNC: I've absolutely got to dedicate this bitch to: Kaggs, for being the first to review the last chapter, YashaGirl12 for getting the songs right in the chapter before last, and KryssiiBabii for getting most of the songs right. This is so you'll know what I keep dedicating for.

Juun'rai had told us to meet him at a restaurant in the Ryukyuan Outlet Mall. On the drive there, Inuyasha seemed more excited than I was about it.

"Jeez, calm down, Inuyasha." I sighed, rolling my eyes as I let my baby out of the backseat.

"I can't help it! This is just…so _major_!" he grinned. Hakudoushi looked up at him with eyes that said, "It's not that big."

"My thoughts exactly, son." I kneeled down to make eye contact with him. "Okay, now, Hakudoushi. You're only, like, eight months, but in dog years, you're already two. Can you walk by yourself without having me or Daddy holding your hand?" He stared at me, but I knew he understood me. He let go of my hand and I smiled, straightening up. "Good, then! Just follow me, and try not to get run over, okay?" The boy blinked, and I took this as a yes.

He did indeed follow me successfully into the mall, and I put my hands on my hips, looking around.

Do you think I need some more clothes?

_Why?_

Because, I'm accepting this deal, aren't I? I need to start shoppin'.

_Well, get the deal over with first, and you can shop till you fall down._

Always have to complicate things, don't you, Seimegami?

_It's my way._

Suddenly, I heard a shriek, and I looked around wildly. "What happened?"

"Oh, my _God_! Aren't you that girl who sang with Juun'rai last night?! Kagome, right?" some girl cried, running up to me. I was going to ask how she knew my name, but then I remembered. Juun'rai had dedicated the entire concert to me, _Kagome Higurashi_. Jeez. The one time in life I hated my name. Other females turned and scampered in my direction, pads and pens and pencils high in the air. I was bewildered. I hadn't even accepted the damn offer yet and people were crowding me! Of course, they weren't exactly the kind of people I would prefer crowding me…but I digress. Ahem.

I heard my son laugh behind me, and immediately, the groupies looked at him and cooed.

"Oh, he is so _cute_!"

"What's his name?"

"How old is he?"

"Um…I'm sorry, girls, but I _really _have to go meet somebody, okay?" They all groaned in disappointment. "Hey, don't look like that, I'm not famous _yet_!" I grinned. It took a minute, but they moved, and I could make my way to the restaurant.

When we got there, I saw Juun in his ugly mask he'd worn that night at the carnival, and Toshihiro was sitting beside him, whistling something.

"Hey, guys." I waved, and they looked at me, waving back.

"Hello, Kagome. Cute kid, he yours?" Toshihiro asked as we sat down opposite them.

"Yeah. This is my boyfriend, Inuyasha." Inuyasha at least quelled the stupid grin he was sporting earlier.

"What up?"

"Hey, buddy." Toshihiro nodded. "Alright. So, uh, Juun'rai tells me you wanna accept."

"Uh-huh. But on a condition."

"Okay. What is it?"

"I would like Inuyasha and Hakudoushi to come with me." All males stared at me. I tried not to laugh, but looking at Juun'rai's ugly mask was about to kill me here. "Is there a problem?"

"Well…it's…not exactly _conventional _to bring your family along on tour, you know." Juun'rai shrugged.

"I'm not exactly conventional myself, Juun'rai, and you of all people should know that." I replied.

"Hey! What makes him so special?! I know you're not conventional too!" Inuyasha grumbled. Hakudoushi snickered.

_What a doofus._

I agree wholeheartedly.

"Okay…I realize that…but…"

"It's not really much of a problem with me, Juun'rai." Toshihiro shrugged, and we all looked at Juun'rai.

"Whatsamatter, Juun'rai? You don't want me coming on your little tour?" Inuyasha smirked, leaning over and dipping his tongue in my ear in full sight of Juun. I couldn't help but shiver. Juun'rai gripped the edge of the table with rather unnecessary force, staring at Inuyasha with a blank face, but his eyes held hatred I never imagined possible for someone like Juun'rai. This was utterly fascinating to me.

"I never said that. I was merely considering the difficulty of having too many people on the tour bus." He said quietly, still staring at Inuyasha.

"Juun'rai, what are you talkin' about? That bus is huge!" Toshihiro argued. "Look. I'm gonna leave you guys alone to figure this stuff out. Meanwhile, I'm gonna go count the quarters in the fountain." I stifled a laugh as he left.

"Okay, Juun'rai. Now that your manager is gone, you can tell us the truth. I know you can't stand me, and that's exactly why I want to go with Kagome." Inuyasha said cockily, putting his arms around my waist and slipping his hands up my shirt.

"Inuyasha!" I hissed, slapping him away. Despite the increased jealousy I could practically _smell _radiating from Juun, he remained calm.

"It's not that I can't stand you. Apparently, I can if I'm sitting here without killing you."

"Huh?" Inuyasha laughed uproariously. "_You_, kill _me_? Heh! My kid could probably kick your scrawny ass, boy. Ain't that right, Hakudoushi?" He added, noogying our son. Hakudoushi grinned, smiling up at Juun'rai, but his attention was focused entirely on Inuyasha.

"I'll not comment. I bear no ill will towards you, Inuyasha, but I don't like to be provoked." I could have smacked him—both of them, in fact. Inuyasha for being a conceited asshole, and Juun'rai for setting himself up.

"_Provoked? _Why, I had absolutely no idea that doing something like this…" Inuyasha rubbed my nipples through my shirt, and I was absolutely powerless to stop him. "…provokes you!" I mewed helplessly, crossing my legs tightly. Grinning at Juun'rai's now angry expression, Inuyasha took a huge whiff of the air. "Ah…the sweet, sweet smell of Kagome's cum." I pushed him away from me and lowered my head, face burning horribly. My body yearned for his touch once more, but I knew it was killing Juun'rai to see Inuyasha do this. And in front of Hakudoushi, for God's sake!

_What an asshole._

"Heh. But the point is, me and our son _will _be going with Kagome, y'understand?"

"I have no problem with that." Juun'rai growled, probably not meaning to _growl_, really, but I understood his anger. I sniffed the air a bit.

_Your kid is funking._

You are not lying. "Inuyasha, could you please stop gloating for long enough to go change Hakudoushi?" The grin on him disappeared as he picked up Hakudoushi.

"Right. Be right back, kiddies!" Once he was gone, I tried to look Juun'rai in the eye, but I was too embarrassed from how Inuyasha affected me.

"Juun'rai, I'm sorry about that. I know you're mad. Inuyasha was just trying to intentionally make you jealous."

"No, no. It's my fault. I have no right to be jealous. I mean, after all, he's your boyfriend, isn't he? He, uh…can do whatever he wants to you." Juun grunted.

"That gives him absolutely no room to do that just to piss you off." I objected. He was silent for a moment, then quietly asked, "Did I used to make you feel like that?" I had to think on this one.

_Take your time. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers._

Shut the hell up! This isn't a damn Benchmark test from high school! And anyway, there are plenty of right and wrong answers, depending on which perspective you view the answers from!

_Jeez, take the stick from your ass. I was only kidding._

"Of course, Juun, but…you know that Inuyasha always had my heart, even all the way back then." I said, trying to sound polite. To my surprise, Juun'rai let out a relieved sigh and smiled at me.

_Yep. Yep, yep, this guy's off his rocker._

I'm beginning to think that myself…

"Whew! I know. Just as long as I made you feel that way, then I'm fine."

"…" Inuyasha came back with Hakudoushi and sat down beside me.

"What'd I miss?"

"…I'm not entirely sure myself." I shook my head.

Toshihiro finally came back, pockets jingling and a grin on his face. I tried not to laugh again. There was just something about Toshihiro that tickled me. The guy was funny as hell.

"You must've gotten a lot of change." Inuyasha pointed out.

"Change? Why, whatever do you mean?" Toshihiro whistled innocently.

"Dude, there are cameras everywhere! You gotta stop doing that!" Juun'rai groaned. I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing.

"He's done it before?!" I cried.

"I do not know what you are talk-ing a-bout, for I have ne-ver sto-len a-ny change from the wa-ter foun-tain…" Toshihiro cleared his throat, winking. "But if I did, I'd know that there was about twenty five dollars in there."

"I know you had to have gotten caught by at least _one _of those cameras."

"Yeah, but I paid a security guard to shut the ones near the water fountain off for about five minutes." Toshihiro smirked, popping his collar. "Yep…when ya got influence like me, things go your way. Remember that, Kagome, when you're famous. Now, uh, let me get this contract out and we can get down to business."

——————————————

I thought Toshihiro's terms were pretty fair. I got a cut of Juun's cut, of course, which was thirty five percent of the total gross. We toured twice a year, and luckily, this was the second tour. Once we finished off Italy, we'd hit Russia, and then we'd go back to Australia to rest up for a week or so, then they'd be shooting the video for Juun'rai's new dance song, Cupid Shuffle. Toshihiro said that the people that were supposed to be in the video were already waiting in Australia, so when we got back after resting, everything would be ready.

"Now, Noriko wants Juun'rai on her show again tomorrow morning, to hear about your decision, Kagome." Toshihiro said to me.

"Okay…do I have to be on there, too?"

"Yep."

"Damn." I sighed. "I was hoping to avoid that one. Do you know, groupies swarmed me when I came here today?"

"She's becoming famous already! You gotta love her!" Toshihiro hooted, clapping me on the back.

"Ah-ha-ha…ow…" I winced.

"And Noriko will probably want you to sing something, so we had a song dug up that one of my other label artists wouldn't do."

"Really? What's her name?"

"Tenkoushi." I thought for a minute.

"That name sounds really familiar." Inuyasha commented.

_Isn't that one of the ningen women you rescued back in January?_

"Oh, yeah, you're right." I nodded.

"What?" They looked at me.

"Seimegami told me that Tenkoushi was one of the women we rescued from the miasma fiasco in January. Remember? She was the one you tried to build up to Jakoutsu?"

"…Heh, oh, yeah. I remember that. I didn't know she was famous."

"Yes, well, she had disappeared for a while after visiting a friend around here."

"Daijumi was the friend's name!" I snapped my fingers. "Tenkoushi knows me! We were captured together! Well, not _together_, but we were both captured by the same person."

Juun'rai stared at me. "Those are some weird-ass circumstances under which to be known."

"Long story, very long. Just know that I had a few…experiences that I'd rather not happen again." I sighed. Inuyasha nodded solemnly, patting my back.

"…Uh…_huh_. Right. Well, anyway, she's in Jamaica right now."

"Ooh…exotic." I whistled. "So what's the song?"

"Here you go." Juun'rai handed me a CD case from his pocket. It contained a CD and a small lyric book. I looked at him.

"A whole book for one song?"

"It's in big print." He shrugged. The CD was labeled "Comes To The Light." "It's a very good song, I don't know why Ten-chan won't do it. You should study the vocals and have it down pat by ten tomorrow morning. Can you do that?"

"Sure, I suppose." I replied, and got up. "Well, it was nice seeing you fellas again. How am I supposed to get to the show?"

"What's your address?" Juun asked, but before I could answer, Inuyasha interrupted, "Uh, isn't there some way for us to meet you guys somewhere?"

"No, there isn't. What's your address, Kagome?" Juun'rai repeated. Inuyasha wasn't exactly a happy camper as I told Juun'rai where to pick me up.

FNC: Was that a stupid mistake? Will Juun'rai mysteriously pop up at Kagome's house when Inuyasha's coincidentally not there? Was he planning this the entire time?!?!

Probably. Probably. Probably not.

Review, please.


	24. Chapter 24

FNC: Wow, you guys are really not liking Juun'rai, huh? I mean…damn. Y'all didn't hate Houjou this much, and he impregnated the girl… Well, now. Let's see if I can accommodate our favorite love-to-hate character with your expectations _and_ mine, hmm?

This chapter is dedicated to YashaGirl12 and KryshiiBabii.

Inuyasha was pretty much silent on the drive back home. Hakudoushi was asleep in the back seat, and me? I was confused. I mean…what was the big deal about Juun'rai knowing our address?

…_You really are retarded, aren't you?_

No. (sigh) I'm just trying to have a positive outlook on things.

_You **know **that boy's not in his right mind, and yet you gave him your address. What in all the hells is wrong with you?_

I'm not entirely sure. It could be due to the fact that _I'm _not exactly sane either! You inconsiderate bitch!

_(gasps) Take that back! I am not inconsiderate!_

Ignoring Seimegami, I said, "Inuyasha, at least talk to me."

"Okay, fine! You must want that little toad-sucking slime ball to come to our house! How in the hell could you give him our address?! Haven't you ever seen movies?! You gave the guy our address, and now he's gonna come to the house and try to put the moves on you! And _you_, still being in love with him, are gonna _let _him! And you know what's gonna happen? Hmm? You can just for-fucking-_get _about your little tour thing!" He took in big heaving gasps.

_Wow. Looks like he **did **have a lot to say, huh?_

We came to a red light, giving me the opportunity to stare at him. I was hurt. I mean…sure, I'm still kinda sorta in love with Juun'rai, but that doesn't mean I'd let him fuck me anymore. Especially not in the house my _son _lives in. I'm not that sick. "Do you really not trust me that much?"

"I never said that. But just in case? I ain't going _nowhere_. I'm staying home the rest of the day."

"Just in case, huh?" I said quietly, and looked away from him out the window.

_You know…I never really did like Inuyasha. I consider him tolerable, in general, now. But I have to say, he has a bit of a point, Kagome. You're not really the most trustworthy mate in the world._

How in the _fuck _can you say that?! There are _plenty of many _times I could've just fucked Juun'rai without a second thought, but I _didn't_! And I didn't _want to_, either!

_Hey…hey, alright, now, calm down, you're gonna make me surface…_

I could've just left both Inuyasha _and _Hakudoushi and ran off with Juun'rai! I mean, why the hell not?! He's rich, famous, he _loves _me, and hey! Why not throw the fact that he's a full-blooded human?! But there is _one _thing that keeps me from doing that. I love Inuyasha and Hakudoushi _much _more than I love Juun'rai, and that is a fact. I can't even fucking be trusted to give a man my address without my own _mate_ seeing a problem with that! My fucking _**soul **_doesn't even trust me enough to keep everything platonic!

_Seriously, now, Kagome, calm down!_

I stopped myself in the middle of my rant and tuned out of my mind and back to the real world. Horns were honking and Inuyasha was yelling frantically. I looked at him, confused, and he stopped.

"Hey…what's the deal? Why did you transform?" I looked up at the stoplight, which turned to green, and pressed the gas without a word.

——————————————

When we got home, I didn't immediately delve into the song I was supposed to be doing, like I had originally planned. I just took Hakudoushi out of the backseat and put him in his bed. He must've been really sleepy, because he didn't even stir. Inuyasha kept following me around, trying to get me to talk to him, but I wouldn't say anything. When I got to the door, I swiftly turned around, surprising him, and said curtly, "I'm going to Sango's."

"Wait, Ka—" The slam of the door in his face was proof enough that I didn't feel like hearing it. I got in my car and drove off.

I was obviously still pissed even as I pulled up to my buddy's house. I did at least try to compose myself before knocking, though, and when Sango came to the door, crying her eyes out, I wasn't sure what to expect.

"Sango? What's wrong, sweets?" I asked concernedly.

"It's…it's…Kin-chan…" she whispered. My eyes instantly widened and I ran into the house. Sango dashed after me, sobbing, "We were just on our way to the hospital, Kagome, I don't know what's wrong!" I came into Kinamadare's room, and the poor child was crying just as hard as her mother.

"Mommy, it won't stop! It hurts, it hurts!" It truly broke my heart.

"What happened to her, Sango?" I stared at the blood gushing out of her nose uncontrollably, no matter how much Miroku tried to stop the flow. There was a small pile of bloody napkins on the floor, and the smell made me want to puke.

"I don't know! I don't know! I'm a horrible mother!" She cried.

"Sango, calm down! At least stay calm for your child!" I ordered, and moved Miroku away. "You don't have to take her to the hospital, there's a simple remedy to stop epistaxis." I grabbed Kinamadare by her ankles and held her upside down.

"What the hell are you doing, Kagome?!" Miroku yelled.

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing! Jeez! My little brother used to get these things all the time." I waved him off. Using this method, the blood wouldn't come out, but instead flow back to her brain. "Hold her nose so she won't breathe and sneeze blood." Sango rushed to clamp the child's nose.

"Open your mouth, Kin-chan, so you can breathe." Her jaw rose in the air. "How do you feel?"

"By head-a hurtz." She said nasally.

"That's normal, sweetie." I smiled complacently, then mentally counted down to five before righting Kinamadare. The blood had stopped, and she was grinning at me. "So. Anybody care to tell me exactly how this little thing happened?"

"We don't know! I was just feeding her some, uh……oh, yeah, some kiwi, and her nose just flooded!"

"Hmm. I'm thinking she has a food allergy to kiwis. That must've been the first time she's ever eaten it."

"Yeah…she was trying to eat it with the skin still on, and I just…I peeled it and she ate it, and five minutes later came the bloodworks."

"Right, no more of that, then." I cleared my throat, and Sango and I walked out.

"So what exactly did you come over for? What happened with your little meeting thing?"

"Yeah. I'm pissed at Inuyasha, and I think Juun'rai's mentally ill."

"I've thought that." Sango nodded solemnly, sitting down on the couch. I sat down beside her with a sigh.

"Okay, so this is what happens. I get in the mall. Soon as I do, I'm swarmed by groupies. Female groupies, which is kinda disturbing, but then again, you don't see too many male groupies."

"True that, true that."

"So then after I run them all off—not literally, of course—I meet Juun and Toshihiro in a restaurant block, and we start talking. I say that I want to take Hakudoushi and Inuyasha with me on the tour, and I get stared at. Juun argues that it's not "conventional," but all he's doing is making up reasons for Inuyasha not to come along. Toshihiro, of course, contradicts him, and says that he has no problem with Inuyasha coming. Inuyasha, of course, has to be the asshole that he truly is and starts slobbering all up _in_ my ear after stating that Juun doesn't want him to go. Well, Juun don't like _that _too much, and he squeezes the edge of the table and glares at Inuyasha, but he says he doesn't have a problem with Inuyasha going. He makes up some other bullshit excuse, then Toshihiro goes to steal quarters out of the fountain and leaves us alone. Inuyasha points out that Juun just doesn't want him going on the tour, and it is, of course, true as hell, and he puts his fucking hands up my damn shirt! I have to push him away, and I can pretty much _smell _Juun's jealousness. They say some more shit, then Inuyasha puts his hands up my shirt _again_, which is pretty much the last damn straw for Inuyasha."

"Oh, shit! What'd he do?!" Sango asked eagerly.

"It's not wrestling, Sango." I rolled my eyes. "Of course, Juun'rai being the lover and not the fighter, he didn't retaliate with fists. He just said he had no problem with Inuyasha tagging along. Then Hakudoushi crapped up and Inuyasha went and changed him. I took the opportunity to apologize to Juun'rai. Now here's where the crazy part comes up. Juun asks me if he ever made me feel like how Inuyasha makes me feel. I say, yeah, of course, but I love Inuyasha now. The guy's actually _relieved_." Sango quirked her eyebrow. "Yeah, my sentiments exactly."

"I don't think Juun'rai's all there."

"Yeah, well, join the club." I snorted.

"So why are you pissed at Inuyasha again?"

"Because! He's being a little _bitch _about me having given Juun'rai our address so he can pick me up tomorrow morning so we can go to the Noriko studio and I can sing this new song!" Sango stared at me.

"You know, if you didn't have the power to kill me, I'd slap the _fuck _out of you, you know that?"

"Wha—Okay, _why _is everybody so pissed at me about that shit?!"

"Why the _hell _you give him your address?! I oughta slap you in the face!" Sango yelled, in a near-perfect imitation of her favorite gun-wielding grandmother Madea. I gave her a bland look.

"Sango, Juun'rai is many things. He's cute, his rich, and we had sex a good many times."

…_How does that even describe somebody?_

Shut up. "He's even crazy as hell. But he is not stupid, and coming to my house unannounced while I, by some mysterious coincidence, am not home would _definitely _be considered stupid. Now excuse me while I go back home at this time so that I can make up with my mate for both his stupidity and mine." Sango shook her head as I walked out the door.

——————————————

When I got home, I called, "Inuyasha! Are you in here?" I went all over the place looking for that fool, and don't you know he was _gone_? Took my baby with him, too! Didn't leave a note telling me _where _we left; mm-mmm, not Inuyasha, oh, no. Instead left a note telling me _**why **_he left. Didn't even take the goddamned time to articulate! Just scribbled down

"Kagome—

If you are reading this, I'm probably gone. I took Hakudoushi with me, so you could cool off by yourself. I'm sorry for being so mistrustful of you. I love you."

"Well, ain't that just—awww…" I grinned upon reading the last part. "Isn't that just the sweetest thing I've known?" I paused to think a minute. "Hey, that could be a song! It was the sweet…sweet…sweetest thing…I've known…! Damn, I'm brilliant. I gotta write that down later." Before I could take off into the room, get the CD, and start beltin' out some tunes, there was a knock at the door. I slowly turned when I heard a voice call my name through the door…

————————————————————————————————————

FNC: Suspense is such a bitch, aren't it? I left y'all's hanging like the fat on an old person's neck. I'm sorry for that one. Review anyway.

Also, I would like to take the time to advertise--for anyone who may be even reading this--a pretty good story called Nikorasu, by McGuire. Search it and read it, 'cause I'm too lazy to put down the URL.


	25. Chapter 25

-1FNC: And what's up, y'all?! I'm so glad you like this story! Speaking of…I dedicate this chapter to Firelight Dance, my new fan and big sister! She's just taken a liking to this story, and has written me, like, the _ass-longest review I have ever gotten in my __**life**_. Swear to _God_. Also, I'd like to give a shoutout to my little sis, PuppehLuff! I love you two!

I moved slowly. The knocking continued. My heart palpitated as my hand reached for the doorknob. With trembling digits, I turned the doorknob, and there stood…

…

Some delivery guy.

I stared blankly at him. "Um…" He had a bunch of chrysanthemums in his hand, and a note.

"Hi, are you…" He looked at his hand. "Kagome Higurashi?" I anime-sweatdropped. It's not that hard of a name, people!

"Yes, I am." I sighed. He handed me the flowers and the note.

"These were sent to you by Juun'rai Sanzenin." I sniffed the chrysanthemums with a smile.

"Really?"

"Yeah…you're so lucky…" he sighed dreamily.

_Yipes. My gaydar's beeping like crazy on this guy._

I stifled a snicker. "Thank you, really."

"No, thank _you_!" he grinned, and left. I shut the door, going into my room whistling. I put the flowers in a vase and plopped on the bed to read the note. It read:

_My dearest Kagome,_

_If you're reading this, then you've obviously received my gift. You're also probably wondering why I sent them to you. Well, at first, I was considering the traditional roses, maybe an assortment of black, red, and pink. But then I remembered that a) You're allergic to roses, and b) You're not conventional. Plus, you love chrysanthemums. I just wanted to send these as an apology if I've gotten you in trouble with that guy._

I rolled my eyes. Jeez, Juun. You're about as pitiful as a retarded puppy.

_Obviously, you've figured that I don't like him very much, and that's why I'm going to warn you._

_Don't trust him, Kagome. I know what he put you through. I've lived a great deal of my life resenting a man that I didn't even know, because he hurt you so badly. And now that he's reappeared, you're so quick to jump on him._

I frowned.

_What's that toad implying?_

I don't know…

_He isn't trustworthy, I'm telling you. If he broke your heart once, he'll do it again. Please, Kagome, if only for our own love, don't let him have your heart again. _

_Wow. I'm sorry. This note wasn't meant to be so depressing. But just…take my words into consideration, okay? For me?_

—_Juun'rai_

I chewed my lip, rereading the note over and over again.

_Is he **that **jealous?_

I don't…I don't know…it's not like Juun'rai to be like that, towards anyone. I didn't even know he truly hated Inuyasha so much…I just thought he was jealous…

_I wouldn't look too much into it. In the meantime, I suggest you hide that note from Inuyasha, or there will be many, many problems._

Do you really think that's his jealousy and hate talking?

_Are you crazy? Don't you dare tell me you're believing Juun'rai's bullshit! If I weren't you, I'd punch you in the face like Sango!_

"If you made sense, I'd punch myself in the face." I scoffed, but folded the note the smallest I could and hid it under the mattress.

——————————————

Inuyasha finally came back. I was sleeping when he did, but he woke me up, kissing me. I kinda jumped at the sight of him, but calmed myself and forced a smile.

"Hi…where'd you go?"

"Doesn't matter. What's with the flowers?"

"I wanted to brighten up the room a little." I shrugged, lying like hell.

"They're nice." He murmured, licking at my neck. I wasn't really feeling into it right now, but I humored him with a few small moans. "So I was thinking." I mentally rolled my eyes.

"Haven't I told you about that?" I smirked.

"Haha, real funny. I'm serious, girl. I think we both got a little out of hand today. So…whaddaya say we have a little make-up sex to wash away all our troubles?"

"Oh, Inuyasha, I would…I would really love to, really, but I think I ate some bad teriyaki earlier…I'm kinda sick…" I groaned, rubbing my stomach. He looked at me, concerned, but somewhat hurt.

"Oh, okay, then…uh, d'you want some…Pepto-Bismol? Or maybe a glass of juice?" I puffed up my cheeks, then swallowed the air.

"Just the thought makes me want to gag…I think I'll just be okay with some sleep."

"Well, okay. Just…call me if you need me, okay?" I nodded weakly, and he crawled off the bed and left.

……

Okay, _what_?!

_(shakes head disapprovingly) I can't even believe you. You are such a bitch, and I'm being serious now._

Well, shit! I can't help it if I ain't in the mood! If I'd've fucked him now, I'd've probably faked an orgasm, and then he'll get all pissy and bitchy about it!

_Oh, and he's not pissy and bitchy now?!_

Frankly, I can't care.

_Kagome, how can you let Juun'rai suck you into his web of deception? I'm telling you, fool, that man's out to ruin your relationship with Inuyasha._

Well, I'm sorry, but that's just not how Juun'rai is.

I yawned, bored. But I had to least _fake _sleep, in order to appease Inuyasha's nosiness. Hmm…maybe I should thank Juun'rai for the flowers…what time is it? I look at the digital clock and my eyes widen when I see that it's already eight.

_Ooh…and you don't know that song, neither._

"Shit!" I panicked, jumping out of the bed and digging around for the CD case. Inuyasha popped in.

"Kagome, are you all right? You shouldn't be up prowling about if you have an upset stomach!"

"Yeah, but my, uh…" I had to think of a lie, quick! And find that damn CD! "My, uh, internal healing system, whatchacallit—"

"Immune system?"

"Yeah, that thing! It healed me and whatnot, 'cause…I'm demon, or whatever. Okay, so bye! I gotta find the thing! The song I gotta know!" I knew Inuyasha was confused. "Crap, where the hell'd I put—" And then I remembered. I could've punched myself in the face. (that expression's being used a lot here, isn't it?)

…_Oh, you son-of-a-**bitch**. The damn thing's **under the fucking mattress**._

I _know _that! _Thank you_!

"Didn't you put it under the mattress, so Hakudoushi wouldn't accidentally get it?" Inuyasha scratched his head, coming over to the bed and about to lift the mattress…

I rush over and "accidentally" whap my arm in his face. "OW! What the fuck, woman?!" he hissed, holding his eye.

"Ooops! My bad! I guess, heh, in all the excitement…ooh, go put some ice on that. That look nasty. Ew." I grimaced, lifting up the mattress quickly and getting the CD cover. Unfortunately for me…isn't everything?…Juun'rai's note fluttered out. We both stared at it—well, Inuyasha stared at it with his good eye, heh—then looked at each other. I cleared my throat, slowly picking up the note and stuffing it in my bra.

"Alright, then…" I said. "We'll, uh…just forget we ever saw _that _tonight. Alright, then. That there's nice and fine, babe. Nice and fine." I nodded to him. "Hoss." And I walked my ass right out.

——————————————

"Kagome, you were so weird acting last night. I didn't think you'd get up the courage to be here this morning." Inuyasha said to me as I got my face powdered by a gay guy.

"Well, ya know…" I sighed, looking at him warily. "As I cannot turn my head, I can't glare at you properly when I say you'd better have all you need packed up. Hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah…" He rolled his eyes, and left. Not long after he did, Juun came in, smiling.

"Hi, Kagome." He waved. I coughed as I waved back.

"Okay, okay! Damn! If I get any more powder, I'll be a kabuki dancer…" I grunted, and the powder guy shrugged and left. "Thank you kindly."

"Having fun? I see you haven't changed at all."

"I reckon not, if I haven't seen you in, like, a _day_." I drawl sarcastically. "Not the brightest piece of bubble gum stuck to the sidewalk, are you, Juun?"

"All _that _aside…" He shifted his eyes and muttered out of the side of his mouth, "Didja get that _thing _I sent ya?" I couldn't help snickering. (Anyone who's ever seen Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law knows just what I'm talking about. Heheh!)

"Next thing I know, you're gonna be rocking a purple hippo suit." I grinned. "Yes, I did get those _things _you sent me."

"Did he see them?"

"I made sure he did not. I don't know where you got those notions from, though, Juun'rai, but you really can't go accusing people of those kinds of things."

"I can't, can I? Well, I've got _proof_. Do you wanna know who I saw him with yesterday, with the nerve to be carrying your son?" I blinked.

_I'm just waiting for the three words to come out of his mouth so I can beat either his ass or Inuyasha's._

Word up to _that_.

"Who?" I sighed.

"That kitsune hanyou."

_THERE THEY GO!_

My eyes twitched and I gripped the hard plastic arms of the chair so hard, my fingernails literally dug through them. "_Katsumi Kobayashi._" I snarled under my breath.

"She says she's supposed to be dating my cousin Shippou, but she was sure as hell showing more than her fair share of cleavage." He must've noticed me attacking the chair, because he backed away a little. "I mean…is that really the kind of man you want to be around, Kagome?"

"Look here. The show's supposed to be starting in about five minutes. I don't need this stress, boy. I don't wanna be looking like my face wasn't ironed all up on national TV. So I would really appreciate it if you would please leave, so I can be alone with my thoughts."

"Okay." He nodded, and bolted out of the room. He'd better. He knew I was crazy. Wouldn't hesitate to murder his little ass, neither.

And speaking of murder.

After I got done with Kobayashi's stank ass, I was gonna be charged with at _least _first degree, premeditated homicide. At _least._

——————————————

FNC: Sorry it's so short, but my fingers are about to piss me off. Let's see what happens next chapter!


	26. Chapter 26

-1I sat beside Juun'rai, a smile forged on my face as Noriko introduced me to the audience.

"Here we have with us an up-and-coming singer, whose phenomenal performance with Juun'rai Sanzenin at his last concert has fans all over Japan wonder if she'll make the big time. Ladies and gentlemen, Kagome Higurashi!" The result was thunderous, and I blushed. "Kagome, tell me, because I can't fully rely on Juun'rai's word." The crowd chuckled. "Are the two of you involved?" I glanced at Inuyasha, whose face was expressionless yet expectant.

"Actually…I have a boyfriend, but it's not Juun'rai, unfortunately." I joked. Everyone, including Inuyasha, laughed, but I could tell that his laughter was just for the sake of face. He didn't find it funny at all.

"Did you accept Toshihiro Fumikada's record deal?"

"Yes, yesterday afternoon. He, Juun'rai, and I had a very serious discussion."

_(snorts) Yeah, right. I hadn't realized that foreplay was serious._

Shut the hell up. "So I'll be going with them for the rest of the tour, until we get back to Australia."

"Well, I'm sure those Australians won't know what hit them." Noriko grinned, and the crowd laughed again. "Do you have a song, maybe, that might be coming up on Juun'rai's new album?"

"Uh, yes. It's called _Comes to the Light_."

"We'd love to hear it!" The crowd clapped loudly. This was actually getting kind of boring, not to mention repetitive, and you already know what happens next.

——————————————

I drank a bottle of carbonated strawberry water after the show. It kinda pissed me off that I had to stay there for the entire hour of the show; for God's sake, I only had a twenty-minute slot! But alas, that's the way it goes.

I was swarmed when I stepped out of the studio by myself to maybe have some alone time, to think about what Juun'rai was implying, but not by rabid fans. Oh, no.

Today, I had my first encounter with…

…

_The paparazzi._

Cameras clicking everywhere, and me, I ain't photogenic, let me tell you. Always hated getting taken pictures of, ever since I was a baby, and my mother tried to photograph me. I "accidentally" broke the camera. But I thought of what Juun'rai would say to me, since he's obviously used to this crap. _"Better get used to it, 'cause now that you're even __**halfway **__famous, the tabloids will be all over you, whether you like it or not. Seventy-five percent or more of the time, you don't." _I don't know where that came from, but it seems like those would be his exact words.

So many questions were being asked, I couldn't discern one from the other. All I heard was "Higurashi-san" and "Is Juun'rai" and "Are you and Juun'rai Sanzenin" and "Are you with" and "Do you have" and "What will you" and what have you. It was quite annoying. I don't know _how _the hell I found patience enough to politely answer them all without anything I said having any kind of ambiguousness to be used against me in the tabs, but damn if I didn't. Within twenty minutes, those cameras were gone, and with a sigh, I realized that my name, my face, and my words would be posted in every newspaper, printed across every news bulletin, and in every magazine in Japan by at least tomorrow.

Oh, well. This is the life I chose. I know one thing; I better get hella rich off this little sucker deal.

_I hope you're not expecting to get "hella rich" right off the bat._

What do you take me for, an idiot?

_What do you take **me **for, someone who thinks you're not an idiot?_

Whatever, Seimegami.

"God. Sometimes I wish I smoked."

"Really, now. I think you need those lungs for something much more important, don't you?" A voice grinned from near me. I didn't need to look up.

"Juun'rai, what are you doing out here?" I muttered, unsurprised. "I would've thought for sure Inuyasha would've already whaled on you."

"Who's to say he hasn't?" Juun'rai shrugged. I quirked an eyebrow.

"Has he?"

"Nah. He's pigging out at the buffet."

"Oh, _God_." I groaned. "_Please _don't tell me he's being ghetto and—"

"Putting everything he can grab in a big bag?"

"Goddamned idiot."

"And yet you love him."

"Well, you're not all that brainy either, y'know."

"Smart enough to know when your heart's being broken behind your back." He said seriously. Not that again.

"Juun'rai—"

"Look, Kagome, I know you think that I'm just saying this stuff out of jealousy, but you _have _to believe me."

"Why? Give me one good reason why. Hmm?"

"Because it's true."

"That isn't that good of a reason."

"_And _I have proof." It seemed like my blood ran cold.

_Think he's trying to play you for a sucker?_

I'm not entirely sure…I could at least…examine the proof, right?

_Whatever you wanna do. You knew you had doubts about Inuyasha in the first place, so don't talk to me about it._

Aloud, I sighed. "What proof, Juun?"

"Cell phone proof. I've captured his deceitful actions right here on my camera phone. Half a minute of heartbreaking treachery, caught right on camera." He handed his RAZR to me. "You know how to access the camera footage, right?" I glared at him sarcastically.

"I'm not computer illiterate, Juun'rai. I _think _I know how to use a RAZR, thanks." He shrugged, while I looked all around that phone.

_You don't know how to use that RAZR, do you?_

_**Hell**_no. Help me out!

_Oh, yeah, like **I **know! I'm, like, a thousand years old, dumbass!_

So? I'm sure you know how to work a Jitterbug.

_(glares)_

Finally, after scrolling and clicking all over the place for a good twenty minutes, I found the file labeled "Inuyasha." Kinda disturbing, really, but I played it anyway. It was sorta fuzzy and distorted, but I could make out everything. My heart sank as I watched the video, which abruptly ended with Juun being punched the hell out by Inuyasha. I looked at his serious disposition as I handed the cell back to him.

"I'm really sorry, Kagome. I tried to tell you…"

"Why don't you have a black eye?"

"Ah. The wonders of Vaseline and brown dusty stuff." I rolled my eyes with a small smile. "But trust me, that sucker punch did indeed hurt me."

_I can't tell whether he's telling the truth or not._

Well, hell, the footage does say it all!

_Oh, come on! It could be a decoy! Fake Inuyasha! Dress some poor sap up to look like that idiot hanyou, and get him up with Katsumi—quick staging! Don't tell me you believe his stupid ass!_

I don't know what I believe anymore! But does it even really matter? Within a matter of an hour, I'm going to be on a plane to Italy!

_Yeah…yeah, that's pretty true. But your son and your mate will be going with you, so I do believe you need to figure things out. Even I know that singing onstage with a heavy heart doesn't do much good unless you're singing a sad song._

Aren't I singing the same songs we sung here?

_Kinda doubt it, but then, what do I know about "the biz?"_

Apparently not enough to still be using that dead-ass phrase.

——————————————

Every time I spoke to Inuyasha, my heart wasn't really in it. So I tried not to really speak unless I was spoken to. Juun'rai was sitting with Toshihiro in the middle part of the limo on the way to the airport, while Inuyasha, Hakudoushi and I sat all the way in the back. The thick tinted glass separating the parts of the limo prevented us from seeing or even hearing Juun'rai, so we didn't know _what _the hell he was doing. Hakudoushi was asleep, probably from bingeing on fattening buffet food. I'd wanted to tell Inuyasha to save me maybe a buffalo chicken wing or two, but his fat ass ate the entire plate. I don't know, maybe it's the demonic metabolism, but he eats so much and never even gets fat. Maybe it's all the ramen he normally eats.

"Man, isn't this exciting, Kagome?" Inuyasha grinned, nudging me. "We're gonna be so filthy, stinking rich!" I looked at him strangely.

_Hold up, wait a minute. What's all this **we **shit?_

Yeah—I don't see his ass up on stage sweating like Tina Turner!

_You might need to check your man, you know?_

Oh, I know alright. He's beginning to act just like Juun'rai's portraying him—the jackass he was in high school.

"Yeah. Uh-huh." I said apathetically. So excited was he, apparently, that he didn't notice the _less-than_-excited tone I spoke with.

"_Man! _Fucking _Italy_, man! Hehehe!" He rubbed his hands together. I groaned under my breath.

"Really, it's not that great."

"Not that great?! I'd give _anything _to get this opportunity! Man, am I glad I met you!" I glared at him angrily. I knew his words weren't _meant _to offend, but they just really pissed me the fuck off. It might've been the situation at hand, a.k.a. how he's possibly _cheating _on me, but _damn_, was I mad. I mean…I _loved this guy_. Loved his ass for seven years, maybe more, and he repays me by fucking around with my _worst/best enemy_?! That son-of-a-fucking-_bitch_!

_Well, I mean, it's like Jakoutsu said all that time ago. You knew it wasn't going to be all hunky-dory in hood with you two._

Yeah, but…but _damn_! The cheating on me thing?! Was it because Hakudoushi wasn't his? Am I too clingy? Is it because I'm still in love with Juun? Is it because I've slept with so many men, it's a small wonder I haven't contracted anything?

_Ah—that one you owe to me._

Aren't you so proud.

_Well, whatever the reason, if he **truly **loves you, I'm sure he wouldn't cheat on you for such petty reasons. In fact, he wouldn't be cheating on you at all, really._

Yeah…but footage does not _lie_! I whined in my mind. I mean, _damn_!

_Look. Finding out if the footage is real isn't hard. All you have to do is **discreetly **ask where he was when he'd walked out yesterday. That is **all**._

What makes you think he'll tell me?

_(scoffs in disgust) Kagome, how do you think you found out anything you needed to know from a male in the past?_

I could've smacked myself. Well, her first, for the sarcasm, then me.

But my heart isn't really into seducing him right now, and frankly, he's too in love with _Italy _way to much to even notice me.

_How about trying it on the plane? After all, there is such a thing as the mile-high club._

That may be, but with that existence is also a little thing called _ac-ro-pho-bi-a_. Which I have.

_Was that thought of when you agreed to this?_

I was under the impression that we would be taking a bus, damn it! I don't get bus-sick!

_Well, you're making **me **sick. Shut up and stop complaining. And do what I told you to do. Shit._

I wanted to glare at myself, but Inuyasha was looking at me weirdly.

"Kagome!" he snapped his fingers in front of my face to get my attention. "You high or something? I've been calling you!"

"Oh. My bad." I said insincerely.


	27. Chapter 27

-1FNC: Man. For all y'all that didn't like Juun? He's looking pretty damn cool next to the Inuyasha in _this _chapter. This story's only taking a turn for the worse, in an angsty way. Say…would anyone mind if the ending _wasn't _so happy?

Well, now we're on the jet. Inuyasha made sure that Juun'rai was at least five seats away from where he was sitting with me—

_What, no more pronoun?_

His possibly cheating ass doesn't deserve to be part of the we that consists of he and me.

…_Alrighty, then._

So, like, I was saying. Five seats away from where he was sitting with me, and—could you _believe_?!—started kissing all up on me. I was utterly disgusted. I'm not really sure why, though. But before I could push him away, his cell phone rang. He moved off of me and looked at it.

"Whoops. Gotta take this, babe. Be right back." He grinned, then headed off to the bathroom. I sighed.

_I'm actually beginning to believe that he's cheating on you. And I'm ever the skeptic._

Yeah…I mean…has all the time we've spent together, making up for past mistakes, all been one big mistake in itself? I almost hate to think it, but…should I have stayed with Juun'rai?

_Of course not! If you had, would you have Hakudoushi? Would Sango and Miroku and that bisexual chick be your friends? You'd just be a trophy wife—something pretty to show off to the press for good publicity._

Yeah. So I guess I don't do much right to begin with, huh? I glared in contempt at the mark on my shoulder that signified that I belonged to Inuyasha.

I never thought I'd say it, but…I really wish he and I had never mated.

_(whistles) Deep. There are ways, though._

…Really?

_Oh, yeah, of course. Definitely._

…

…

…

…_What?_

Tell me the ways, fool!

_Alright, alright, keep your drawers on. You have to mate with somebody else, and if your love for them is stronger than your love for Inuyasha, then Inuyasha's mark cancels out._

But I just plain don't want to be mated!

_Oh. Huh. Tough cookies, babs. The only thing you can really do is just break up with him like a regular human. God. I didn't know he was so **kaishounashi**. (which means useless) No job, basically no money, **and **he's cheating on you? He's pretty much using you for his own benefit!_

I hadn't noticed that I was crying until Juun'rai dabbed at my eyes with a soft tissue, not the rough, scratchy kind. I looked at him with a sniffle. His eyes were sad and compassionate.

"I know it's hard on you, Kagome. But now do you finally see him for what he truly is? He's no different from how he was before."

"I kn…I know. I don't know, maybe it was just my desire to be with him that was clouding my vision. Juun'rai, I feel so stupid." I whimpered, burying my head in his chest. He nodded, stroking my hair, and I felt like he and I were together again.

"It's okay, Kagome." He soothed.

_Wuh-oh. Better break the sweet moment, 'cause your hubby's coming back soon._

I got myself together quickly, blinking tears away from my eyes and taking a deep breath. "Okay. I'm okay now."

"You sure?"

"Definite." I smiled.

"Alright." He was tapped on the shoulder by a looming Inuyasha. He looked up. "Yes?"

"Is there some particular reason you're sitting with my woman?" I scoffed under my breath, rolling my eyes.

"Inuyasha, don't be such a prick, alright?" I snapped. "We were just sitting together. God. You're making such a big deal of it, you'd think we were sitting up in these chairs fucking or something."

"Whatever. You, toad-ass. Move out of my seat."

"Why don't you go talk to your lover on the phone, you Lothario?!" Juun'rai yelled, before he could stop himself.

"_What?_" With a sigh, I pushed them out of my way and moved up front, to where my child was asleep.

"Those fucking idiots."

"I know you're cheating on Kagome, so why are you leading her on like that?!" Inuyasha growled and grabbed him by the scruff of his collar. He hissed something unintelligible to my ears, but it made Juun'rai's face pale. By the time I'd let my ears transform to hear better, Inuyasha had dropped Houjou. I swore internally.

_You just missed what could've been a key clue to the mystery of his infidelity!_

And frankly, _whose _fault was that? Besides, all I really gotta do is ask Juun'rai what Inuyasha told him.

_Like he'd tell you._

He fucking better! Don't either of them know I could kill them right on this fucking plane?!

_You can? …Oh. Oh, yeah! Me! Hehe…_

God, you're slow. I patted Hakudoushi's head with a sigh, wondering what had I ever done to deserve such cruelty? Anything bad anyone could ever list about me was all because of Inuyasha anyway, so he's the cruel one, not me. Now I hate that I…

_You what?_

"I hate that I love you…" I whispered aloud, then said it again, this time with more of a tune to it.

_Hey, I kinda like that._

So do I. I took out a notepad and wrote it down, quickly, and put it back up right before Inuyasha came back and sat beside me.

"What're you writing?"

"Don't worry about it." I replied coolly, turning away from him and staring out the window. Seeing us in direct adjacency with real clouds almost made me want to purge.

"Jeez, you don't have to be all snippy about it."

"Kiss ass, Inuyasha." I said, before I could stop myself. Oh, shit—that was meant to be said in my _mind_.

"Huh? What's wrong with you?!"

"Like I said, don't worry about it." You're cheating on me anyway, so what the fuck do you care? Oh, good, _that _made it.

_You know what you should do? Ask him if he's cheating. You'll know if he lies._

Smart. "No—you know what? I have something to ask."

"What?"

"Are you cuckolding?" He blinked.

…_Just say cheating, alright? You know he's not bright._

"Are you _cheating_, dumbass?" I rolled my eyes.

"Cheating? What, on you? Didn't I tell you I loved you?"

_Apparently the bastard isn't as stupid as we first perceived._

What?

_He's not lying, but it's a loophole. Of course he **told **you he loved you. He could've just said, I love you, and then I'd know. Son-of-a-bitch._

"That don't mean shit to me. _Do _you love me?"

"Well, Kagome, I would _think _if I _told _you that…" He trailed off, giving her a condescending look.

"You know what, fuck you, Inuyasha! Get the fuck off my seat before I have your ass ejected from this plane!" I snarled angrily, tired of the bullshit. To my utter surprise and absolute horror, a malicious smile spread across his mouth. He closed his eyes for a little while, then when he opened them back, they were blue and red. Yuh-oh.

_Yuh-oh is right. I don't feel Seikami's presence in his body anymore._

Say _what_?! How long's _this _been?!

_I don't know! It's like…I've been feeling something **missing **ever since he came back last night!_

…

Inuyasha practically jammed his mouth in my ear. "You wanna know what I said to your little boyfriend over there? I told him that I wasn't going _any-fucking-where _until I get a child from you. That little bastard over there isn't mine, and I don't want him."

_And so his true colors finally show._

My heart dropped like lead into my stomach and the backs of my eyes began to irritate me. "Don't you dare fucking talk about my son like that. That's it, Inuyasha. We're over. I've had enough of your shit." I said firmly, oncoming tears making my voice tremble. Inuyasha laughed harshly.

"Over? But what about all the years you spent pining for me, hoping and wishing I would come back into your life? You seem pretty damn hypocritical now. But it doesn't matter _what _you say. You're mine, Kagome—that mark on your shoulder proves that."

"Don't remind me." I muttered miserably, glaring at my shoulder. "What the hell _happened _to you?"

"Nothing happened to me. I've been like this my entire life. _You _were just the only fool who couldn't see."

"But Juun saw." I whispered, looking back at Juun'rai, who was so angry he was denting the armbars. But he couldn't do anything. Inuyasha would rip him to shreds.

"Oh, sure." Inuyasha shrugged. "After I told him. He hadn't known before that."

"You're a fucking monster, Inuyasha. I hate you with all the blood running through my body."

"That may be. But I couldn't care less. Anyway…there's something I've always wanted to do, but he's been holding me back." That got my attention. What is he talking about? Who's been holding him back.

"Who? Juun?"

"Yeah, right." He snorted, whilst trailing his claw softly down my bare arm. I couldn't help myself. I shivered. Inuyasha smirked, his eyes briefly darting towards Juun'rai, and he murmured, though loud enough for Juun'rai to hear, "I want to fuck you…right here in plain sight of him." My stomach lurched and my face paled. I was absolutely speechless. "Because I know he can't do anything about it, and so does he. _I'm _in control now."

_Something about what he's saying is very strange._

No, it's not, not at all! Didn't you hear him?! He wants to fuck me in front of Juun!

_No, he's not talking about Juun._

What the hell are you talking about? Before she could elaborate, Inuyasha scared the hell out of me by tilting the seat all the way back. I thought I was gonna have a damn heart attack.

"You'd better watch this, because if you don't, I'll kill you. You're lucky I kept you alive thus far." He growled. I gathered that he wasn't talking to me. So Juun'rai was forced to stay in his seat and look.

"Fight him, Kagome. You have to." Juun'rai seethed. But I couldn't. It wasn't like Inuyasha was raping me, at least not yet, but it was just…I was nonresistant to his touch. Especially when he trailed his tongue down my stomach. He lifted my shirt off of my head and tossed it before fondling my nipples with his tongue. I bit my lip in order not to make any erotic sounds. It might encourage Inuyasha. Despite my effort, he got even more turned on, and got on top of me. He slid off my jeans and tickled my button through my panties. I instantly became wet. I was so ashamed of myself. I could feel Juun'rai's dismay coming off of him in waves, but frankly, part of me didn't care.

Inuyasha pulled off my panties and his pants, erection much more prominent than I'd ever seen it. Had…had he gotten _bigger_? I inadvertently licked my lips as he removed his boxers.

"Still watching, fuckface?" With that, Inuyasha plunged his tumid length into me and I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips.

——————————————

FNC: I'm sure you hate the hell out of me right now, but as long as you review when you tell me that, I don't care! Ah, kidding. But not about the review part. Do that!


	28. Chapter 28

-1FNC: You guys have to be the coolest bunch of fans in, like, the entire _world_…of fan fiction. (grins) I wish I could name you all separately, but jeez, man…my aneue FD-chan, you know I gots to thank you…everyone else who could relate to my computer problem, who would be:

Lurking-in-shadows

Raven.of.the.Shadow.Realm, who said that I was talented ;D

Ashar, an anonymous but nevertheless cool reviewer

AznPriestess

Rachelandthecupcakecrusades

Shara, a.k.a. "Scab"

x3Kiome, who too thinks I'm awesome!

Kaggs

xXKimiko SakakixX

NeveR ForsakE ME

And if I missed anyone, I'm sorry, but it's 2 in the morning and my brain's fuddled. So enjoy the chapter!

I sighed to myself as I sat—upright, thanks—in my seat, feeling lower than low. I could feel Juun'rai's coarse stare burning a hole in my back, which made me feel all the worse. Inuyasha, having done what he'd wanted to do, was now asleep. He said that his head was hurting, and that "that punk bitch is crying his pussy eyes out." Whoever he was talking about, Seimegami was right—it wasn't Juun'rai, though I thought I did see him rubbing at his eyes. I looked at my son, who stared out the window with that indifferent expression of his. It somewhat mirrored his father's. And by father, I mean Houjou. Inuyasha was acting like too much of a pompous fuckoff for me to even acknowledge his presence at the time. I still can't believe he called my baby a bastard. I stroked Hakudoushi's silvery ears, biting the nail of my other thumb sadly. Then, the next thing I knew, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It startled me, frankly, and Hakudoushi turned to me, apparently feeling my uneasiness. I didn't even bother to fake a smile at him. He was much more perceptive than the average child, even the average demon child, so I knew he knew what I was going through.

"Trust me, Haku-chan, if I knew your surrogate father was such a mean son-of-a-bitch, I would've never let him back into my life. I really thought he'd changed, you know?" He continued to stare blankly at me. "Well, I guess that's what happens when you…" I noticed his eyes trail off slightly to the left and I felt breath on my neck. It almost made me jump, but I refused to breathe, lest Inuyasha get that arrogant sense of self-satisfaction he was apparently so prone to.

"Talkin' about me, bitch?" he smirked. "I'm just a _mean _son-of-a-bitch, ain't I?" I stayed silent, trying to will Hakudoushi through the power of thought not to look at Inuyasha.

_Please, don't look at him… _I silently prayed, not really realizing that my heart rate had quickened until Inuyasha laid a hand upon my chest.

"What's wrong?" he asked with mock compassion. I ignored him, training my eyes on Hakudoushi.

_Look away, look away, God,** please **look away! _By the grace of God—praise his name, hallelujah—Hakudoushi finally turned away from Inuyasha, and looked at me. I smiled feebly, and he closed his eyes only to turn back to the window. My smile widened.

"It's just like training a puppy, isn't it?" I steeled myself before firmly saying, "Whatever your business is with me, don't involve Hakudoushi. I don't care what you think about him; I don't want him caught up in your web of betrayal."

"Oh, boo-fucking-hoo!" Inuyasha snorted loudly. "What, you think you're Martin Luther King now? You in here dreaming and giving speeches? Well, think one more damn time, bitch. I'll do whatever the hell I feel like doing, and your little boyfriends can't do anything about that."

"_What boyfriends?!_" I hissed. He didn't say anything for a while, then he started cackling insanely.

"Damn, bitch, you really are stupid! What a fucking _moron _not to yet realize who I am!"

"Elaborate, fuckface."

"Fine. Fine." He grinned, trying to catch his breath. "The hanyou that you knew as nice, loveable, maybe sometimes jealous a lot Inuyasha is encased within his own mind. The guy's got dual personality syndrome. So he's just about as crazy as you are. I'm his…well…I dunno, you could probably call me his better half, since all demon is much better than half, don't you think?"

"No, I _don't _think that." I said stubbornly. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a hanyou, and I don't give a damn what you say." My phone buzzed at my side, startling me slightly. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the screen, immediately _seething _at the sight of my hated enemy's name.

_Kobayashi Katsumi. _

Inuyasha chuckled behind me. "Still harboring _that _mentality?" With trembling fingers, I put her on speakerphone.

"Hello?" I ground out.

"Kago-chan!" Katsumi squealed mockingly, her voice absolutely _dripping _with fakeness. "How ya doing? How's the brat?"

"You know what, _fuck _you, Katsumi, you homewrecking bitch!" I screamed. "You go to hell! You go to hell and you die!" (Anyone who's ever seen South Park…I rest my case.)

"Oh, _I'm _a homewrecker? What about you? Jetsetting with Juun'rai Sanzenin is reason enough for anyone to stray away, and you had my poor Inu-chan so hurt. So he came to a better woman." I nearly crushed the phone. Better woman, my fucking ass! "Inu-chan, you there?"

"Yeah, babe." He grinned, confirming Katsumi's words. I gaped at him.

"And the motherfucking asshole fucking admits it!" I snarled with incredulous disbelief. I was very pissed as I transformed into the demonic goddess within my soul.

"So make a lot of money, Kago-chan. Because it's all coming back to me. Bye, Inu-kun!"

I pressed the "End" button so hard, it caved in. I picked up the phone, glowering at it when a teardrop fell onto the caved-in surface.

"You know she's a whore, right? Heh—even more so than you." Inuyasha chuckled heinously, but I didn't rise to his bait. I tried to force myself to hold back the tears that threatened to fall, but a few managed to seep out. My head began to throb as I silently cried, watching the outside sky darkening.

Funny how my world seemed to be crumbling under the same circumstances.

My heart and stomach were incredibly pained, and I felt sick. "Please…" I whispered, and even Hakudoushi turned to look at me. "Leave me alone…" And yet, despite these wrath-inducing conditions, I didn't hate Inuyasha. I couldn't. Just like the way I felt for Juun, part of me would forever hold Inuyasha—the hanyou Inuyasha—close to my heart.

I woke up about seven hours later, not even knowing when I'd gone to sleep, and instantly felt food that I hadn't ever eaten coming up in my throat. I rushed out of my chair and into the bathroom, speeding past still-awake Juun'rai and snoring Inuyasha. I fell to my knees and straight-up upchucked into the toilet.

Feeling slightly embarrassed as I flushed the toilet, I dabbed at my mouth with a napkin, then paused midway.

"No…no, no, no, no, _God, please, no_!" I cried, shaking my head frantically. I had to duck into the toilet again, and once I was done, I waited for anymore to come up. Throwing up in the morning.

Morning sickness.

Goddamn it, I'm pregnant. _Again! _ Gag me with a motherfucking spoon.

"Inuyasha, you fucking bastard, I hate the _hell _out of you!" I screamed, rinsing out my mouth. As I walked out, angry as all hell at the world, I was stapled to the wall by a desperately kissing person.

"Wh—Hey!" I hissed, startled to see Inuyasha's face looking back up at me with tear-streaked cheeks.

"Kagome…" He whimpered, eyes red. I couldn't help but forget the detest I felt for him with the tender utterance of my name. "Please…I…I'm so sorry…I deserve every single name I've even been called since the day I was born. I knew what he was doing. I watched him hurt you, I even let him get away with insulting Hakudoushi. But when…when he got you pregnant…I couldn't stand it." I paled.

"How did you know?" I asked hoarsely.

"He'd intended to do it on purpose as soon as he was able to…well, you know. He wanted to make it so good for you that, even though she wouldn't want to, Seimegami would surface, due to her almost purely sexual nature, and he would impregnate you with his demonic seed."

"Oh, God." I moaned, covering my face with my hands and slumping to the floor. Inuyasha sat beside me, stroking my face.

"Kagome, I know it's hard, but…"

"_Hard?!_" I sobbed hysterically. "Inuyasha, you don't know what the _fuck _hard means outside of sexual context! I mean, God! I'm sure how your demon felt was also the way you felt, too! You don't give a fuck about Hakudoushi, and you sure as hell don't give a damn about me!" I noticed that he didn't say anything while I screamed at him. He just continued to stroke my face and look at me. So I went on, unhindered. "I should've known that you wanted that _bitch _Kobayashi in the first fucking place, because you could better relate to her, but _fuck_, all you had to do was fucking _tell _me instead of hurting me like you did!"

"I don't want her." He said clearly. I blew out a deep breath and gave him a long, hard look.

"Did you sleep with her?"

"I told you, I don't want her."

"_Did. You. Sleep. With. Her?_"

"Why would I sleep with someone I don't—"

"_Answer the fucking question, goddamn it! Did you fuck or what?!_" For the first time since he sat beside me, he broke eye contact with me and stared down at his lap.

"…I'm sorry, Kagome…"

"No." I was absolutely disgusted. "So you're just alike, aren't you? You and that demon. I should've known. Leave me the hell alone." I stood up and stalked out, ignoring Inuyasha's cries for me to come back. He could kiss my natural pale ass for all I cared. I tapped Juun'rai on the shoulder. His neck slowly creaked and he turned to me with bags under his eyes.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I can't do this. I changed my mind. I can't handle all the drama." Surprisingly, Juun'rai nodded.

"Neither can I, frankly. This whole situation has been very disconcerting for me, and I haven't gotten any sleep in about seventeen hours. I understand it all. So I'll just tell everyone it was stress. What are you going to do?" I smiled, casting a glance at my sleeping son.

"Well, I would absolutely hate for this whole plane ride to go to waste. So I suppose I'll just explore around Italy, see some sights and whatever, and I figure I'll hop a plane back to Japan in a week. No big thing."

"What about…" My smile faded.

"Oh…you heard, didn't you?"

"You're pregnant." He turned his head, sighing. I hugged his neck, not really knowing how to apologize. Juun'rai has always wanted me to have his child, and I'm going to have another one that isn't his.

"I'm sorry, again." I murmured.

"It isn't your fault. I only wish I could've done something, other than sit here and entertain _him _with my helplessness."

"Oh, yeah, sure. You could've done something—like get yourself killed."

"How can you yield to him like that?" I sighed.

"It's never something I've been all that proud of. That's just how he affects me. But…I guess I have to learn to live without him." It occurred to me, somewhat belatedly, that Inuyasha was probably listening to every word, and had also probably deduced that I was basically leaving him. I could hear his chest heaving lightly as he cried inaudibly and I felt horrible. But what could I do?

With a sigh and the feeling that I should say something to Inuyasha, I trekked to the back, where he was still slumped, obviously stupefied. I sat beside him and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"Inuyasha, I love you. I really do. But…I think it's time we end this."

"No…please, Kagome, don't do this to me."

"To _you_? How do you think _I _feel about it?" I whispered, about to burst out in tears at how pitiful he sounded. "I mean…I don't want to do this, but you're not leaving me much of a choice."

"Then…can we at least make love one final time? Please, Kagome, I don't want to have sex with you, I want to show you how I feel about you." I stared at him through tearful eyes.

"I can't…_we_," I corrected myself, referring to myself, Hakudoushi, and the child now embedded into my womb, "can't trust you anymore." The pain in his eyes was too much for me to bear. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha." As I rose to my feet, trying not to actually pass out from the incredible hurt in my heart, it became painfully obvious to me that I would forever remember this time as the time I lost all trust in Inuyasha, the man that I have loved for years.

FNC: God. I wasn't expecting the story to take such a dramatic turn, did you? Since some didn't want an unhappy ending, I'll let you guys decide what I should do. Should I:

Make a sequel of this story, in which they get back together?

Or make a continuation of this story that would basically be the same as the sequel?

It's all up to you.

Doesn't really matter to me; either way, it's a new document I have to start, so what the fuck ever.

Review, please, and again, thanks for the support!


	29. Chapter 29

FNC: SO MANY REVIEWS! I feel so loved! Or at least, so talented. Well…since I was pretty unsure of whether to make a sequel or not, I decided to just continue it. I mean…I wouldn't be able to think of a name for the sequel! So _A Body She Couldn't Control _is still in full effect, baby! And I would like to thank my faithful fans for reviewing and threatening, so I could get off my ass quicker…I know y'all didn't really enjoy how the last chapter ended, so I hope you like this one!

I chuckled to myself as I heard my children all fighting, again. The first time it began to happen, I was worried, but Seimegami reassured me that it was part of growing up for puppies to fight. So I let 'em tussle, till it got too serious, of course. Hakudoushi would be nine next month, and the twins, Koromachi and Tenekura, would be eight in about seven more months, on the18th. They were about the cutest little things. Koromachi had Inuyasha's attitude, and the looks to match, and every time I looked at him, I couldn't help but think of his father. Tenekura, however, was a bizarre mix of me, Seimegami, _and _Inuyasha—purplish eyes, with silver doggy ears instead of white like Koromachi's, and a black tail with the hair to match. Surprisingly enough, though, she was pretty shy. But I think she had a dual personality too—agitate her enough and you'll find your eyes gouged out.

"Hey, Mom…" Koromachi said to me one day, while I was driving them home from school. He and Tenekura were in the back seat, Hakudoushi up front.

"Hmm?"

"Where's our dad?" I remained silent. Hakudoushi glared back at his little brother.

"Shut up, Koromachi."

"What? I just asked a question, jeez! 'Cause Mom's always telling me I look like him, so I wanna know. Where is he?" Before I could say anything, Hakudoushi said coldly, "He's dead." As I stopped at a red light, I stared at Hakudoushi, who made sure not to look at me.

"He is?!" The twins cried out, looking at me. I blinked.

"Uh…I dunno." I shrugged. I didn't know what to tell them.

_Not the truth—they couldn't properly handle it._

Yeah, you're right…but Hakudoushi knows.

_Well, hell, the kid's got a photographic memory, what do you expect? He's gonna know. I'm surprised he's not traumatized from all that he's seen._

You make him sound so old.

"Whaddaya mean, you don't know?! Tell us, is he dead or what?" Koromachi demanded. I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Koromachi, I said shut up, you little toad, before I smack you through the roof of this car."

"Nobody's smacking anybody through the roof of anything." I reprimanded, turning to the twins. "Look, guys. I doubt your father is dead. He's just what we like to call "not around." I broke up with him when I was pregnant with you two, and that's about it." Hakudoushi gave me a hard look and I returned the favor. He didn't like for anyone to talk about Inuyasha. I hadn't realized how this had affected him. Not only was _I _betrayed by Inuyasha, but so was he. Inuyasha was the father he never had or knew. I mean, hell—I can't even brave myself to tell him that he has a brother, one who's married to one of my best male friends, no doubt.

"Why?"

"Because of grown-up reasons." I smirked. The twins whined. Whenever I said "grown-up reasons," it meant that the matter wasn't to be discussed.

"Aw, man! The good stuff is _always _for grown-up reasons!"

"I bet Hakudoushi knows it!" Koromachi grumbled.

"That doesn't mean I'm gonna tell _you _runts."

* * *

"No way!" Koromachi dismissed with a roll of his eyes.

"Yes way." I grinned. "Isn't that right, Hakudoushi?"

"Yeah, dude! Mom was about to be a singer!"

"You can sing, Mom?" Tenekura asked wondrously. "Really?" Koromachi shoved her in the shoulder.

"What a stupid question, Tenekura. If she was gonna be a singer, of course she can sing!" Tenekura glared at him.

"Maybe she was lip-synching, dummy!" she yelled.

"You're a dummy!" In seconds, the whole thing escalated into a fight. I rolled my eyes, while my eldest shook his head.

"Jeez. They're both dummies."

"I can't help but agree." I looked at Hakudoushi. He seemed calm enough, but the turn taken by the twins' conversation yesterday took a toll on him. I'm sure he'd been deliberately forgetting Inuyasha day by day, over all the years, and the reminder was just too painful. As the twins occupied themselves with their fighting, I turned to Hakudoushi and said quietly, "You don't have to keep it all in, you know." He didn't even seem surprised by my tact and didn't face me.

"I'm not. I'm going to forget him, and then I won't have anything _to _keep in."

"But what if you see him again?" At this, he faced me seriously. The child was but eight, yet he was ten years wiser.

"That isn't the issue, Mother. The real question is, what if _you _see him again?" I sighed sadly, eyes downcast.

"I don't know…" I whispered. "It's been so long…"

"And yet that mark on your shoulder remains as distinct as if you'd just mated yesterday." He pointed out. I smiled at what he'd learned. With instinct and Seimegami's teachings, he knew much about the inuyoukai customs and heritage.

"Yeah…it is, isn't it? I do miss him sometimes, but I know how to get on without him now."

"And hey, think about it. It's not like you'll never find another guy."

"That's beside the point. It's more like I'll never _want _another guy." I hugged my knees tightly. "You know I left him before he could see the twins."

"Yeah. He tried to get in contact with you when he found out they were born."

"Did you think he deserved to see his own children?"

"Not really, but that's just my opinion. My father was dead before I was even born, so I don't know anything about patriarchal subjects."

"If you really want to know what kind of guy your daddy was, let's just one weird asshole."

"Yes, I believe that about sums it up."

* * *

I find it kind of weird that my children are, in a way, connected with Juun'rai Sanzenin. They've seen him, talked to him, and aren't really all that amazed with him, because for some reason, they find him as a friend. He's still singing, because he still looks the same way he did all that time ago, but he makes a point of coming to see us all whenever he can. (sigh) Guess some things never change, because he came today.

I knew this when the bell rung and Hakudoushi didn't even get up from the couch to answer it. I was busy cleaning up a little bit, and Hakudoushi called out in his monotonous voice, "It's your boyfriend, Mom."

"Say who?" Before I could get out of the kitchen, Koromachi—having that despicable superhearing—sprinted out from the hallway, probably from marking up the whole damn wall, and went to the door.

"What boyfriend?" he asked suspiciously. I glared at Hakudoushi as I went to the door.

"_No _boyfriend, that's who. I need to have one, though." I muttered, opening the door. It was—guess who—Juun'rai.

"_Buon giorno_, _bella onna_." He grinned widely.

"Oh, it's Juun'rai." Koromachi rolled his eyes, shoving Hakudoushi in the head and running away as his older brother chased him.

"Break something and I'll break your asses." I called casually, turning back to Juun'rai. "And you know that mixing Italian with Japanese is an affront to the Italian language."

"What?" Juun'rai shrugged innocently, coming in and closing the door after him. "Ever since you came here, you've somehow begun to think that you're Italian, too."

"Well, sure! I know the language, the twins know the language—hell, it's their second language!"

"What about Hakudoushi?"

"He's learning it, but he's smart. He'll have it by next month."

"Speaking of next month, I wanted you to give this to him for his birthday." Juun'rai handed me a hundred dollar bill. I took it with a quirked eyebrow.

"So tell me exactly what a nine-year-old is going to do with one hundred dollars?"

"I dunno, save it. Isn't that what you told me he's been doing with all the money I gave him?"

"I suppose so. Soon he's gonna have more money than me." Juun'rai chuckled, then sobered up a little.

"Kagome, if…you know, whenever you need somebody around, you know I'm here. All you have to do is call me, and I swear I'll drop everything and come to you."

"Juun, I could never ask you to do that…" He faced me with downcast eyes.

"Kagome, I know you still love him. But…you have to get over him, especially after all he put you through. For God's sake, Kagome, I'd never _seen _you so unhappy, and you were so depressed until the twins were born."

"Yeah…"

"I've seen that look you get in your eyes whenever you look at Koromachi. They look just alike, don't they?"

"Yeah…" I repeated, feeling tears well up in my eyes. Juun'rai immediately embraced me, as if to catch the teardrops when they fell. I smiled sadly into his shoulder. "Um…(sniffle, sniffle) I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry like this. Do you…um…want something to drink or-or something?" He released me with a small smile.

"Okay. But not a lot." He warned. "You know I get drunk easily."

* * *

I yawned, stretching my limbs. For some reason, I was naked. What, did it get hot last night?

_Oh, yeah. Hot and **heavy**._

Huh? What are you talking about? Just that moment, I felt my stomach churning. "Oh, shit." I groaned, stepping over the body—wait, _body_?! I did a double take and gasped to myself as I saw Juun'rai's sleeping face. "Not again…goddamn it!" I cried out, rushing into the bathroom to purge my system of the alcohol I consumed last night.

* * *

FNC: Boy, is she getting pregnant a _lot_! But it's cool, it's cool, it's gonna…gonna help the story progress a little better. Sorry about that, I was watching Family Guy. How many kids will it be _this _time? Will anyone notice the infrequent pattern of fathers? WHEN THE HELL IS INUYASHA COMING INTO THE PICTURE?!?!

The answer to all of the questions are…

Review.


	30. Chapter 30

Ever heard that song that goes "There's Got To Be A Morning After?" Well, the morning after the whole fact was awkward as hell. By the time Juun woke up, I was already showered, dressed, and the kids had eaten breakfast and were now on the school bus. I was actually glad that they were gone. I would be too ashamed if they thought their mother was a whore.

_Still._

Shut up. And Hakudoushi—oh, _Lord_. He'd probably look at me with those seemingly blank eyes, when both of us clearly knew that he was utterly disappointed in me. He would know that my sleeping with Juun was through nothing but desperation to be loved and wanted.

Besides, I know he already knew, because when I gave him his breakfast plate while the twins wolfed down theirs, he murmured to me, "He didn't leave. You smell just like him." I absolutely froze for a second, but pretended I didn't know what he was talking about.

As my lanky elder son led his siblings out the door, he shot me a look which was made to look like a goodbye look for the sake of the twins, but it was more of a "we'll-talk-about-this-later" look in disguise.

I figured I should wake Juun'rai, since he would no doubt have something to do. When he did wake up, he grinned at me sleepily.

"Wow. Either I have the most bittersweet hangover _ever_…or we really did sleep together."

"Let's consider it both. Now get your ass up and go somewhere."

"Why don't you come with me somewhere? I mean, hell, I got nothing to do. We can do whatever you like, just us two, for as long as you like. How about it?"

"Um…how about getting _dressed_, loverboy?" I smirked.

"Y'know, if I didn't have such rancid breath, I'd kiss you." He grinned back. "Can I use your bathroom?"

_Might as well. He is your baby daddy, after all. He'll be living up in this crib right here when the baby or babies—it's pretty indeterminate right now—is or are born._

I bit my lip and said, "Yeah…yeah, of course." He gave me a short kiss on the forehead and disappeared through the bathroom door. I sighed. Would I have to actually _be _with Juun'rai now that this baby was in the picture?

_Probably. You heard him; he'd drop everything to be with you, and I think he was serious._

Yeah…and he's just such a great guy, really…but…

_But he's not Inuyasha. _I thought I was going to break down in tears right there.

"I miss him so much…" I whispered tearfully. "And Koromachi and Tenekura need to have their father in their lives. They won't properly accept Juun'rai as even a surrogate father. Even if Inuyasha came into the scene right now, so late, they would instantly resent him."

_I mean, think about it. You've been with them their whole lives. They see **you **as the victim, and **him** as the criminal. What if he's with another woman? What if he's purged himself of his evil and is now doing better than ever?_

The latter I can handle, but…do you really think he's gotten over me like that? I hope he…well…I don't really know what I hope. I'm not dying for another few centuries, right?

_God willing._

It's like…I want him to have a good life. And…we're both adults here, so he can do whatever he wants.

_But that won't stop him from inevitably hurting you. _I took a deep breath, wiping the tears from my eyes and heading out the door to sit in the doorway. I enjoyed the cold Venice breeze for a few moments, then came back into the house.

To my absolute horror, Juun'rai was stark naked, except for my _bra _adorning his chest. He grinned at my fishlike expression.

"Damn, Kagome, I knew your breasts were big and all, but this is a _36D_!"

"Y—Give me that!" I shrieked, snatching the bra away from him. Okay, so my breasts got a little bigger after the twins were born…and no amount of exercise could get them back to normal—though my stomach was toned as _hell_—…but that was no reason to tease me about it, goddamn it! "And I checked the weather, fresh-ass." I rolled my eyes, getting off of him. "We can't go anywhere."

"Then let's stay here." He murmured huskily, pulling me back on top of him. "You've already got me hard. Why tease?" I licked my lips somewhat nervously, actually getting a little horny myself.

"Umm…d-don't you have anything to do today?"

"The only thing I've got to do is _you_. I'm on vacation for three more days." At my gaze of uncertainty, he went on, "It can be just like when we were in college. Having sex for as long as we could bear to stand _up_." I shifted my legs a little, a habit for keeping the horniness at bay. It was coming on so strong, too.

"Well…okay. A little quickie." I agreed, already stripping off my clothing.

I conveniently forgot that the quickest quickie Juun'rai and I would ever have lasts about half an hour. So you can imagine how long three entire quickies took. I was quite exhausted, and I had to send Mr. Metabolism away. Note the sarcasm. He said he'd be back later tonight, and with this thought in mind, I took a quick shower, left Hakudoushi a note on what to do in my absence—including not waking me up—, and went to sleep.

* * *

I woke up six hours later, by means of Koromachi and Tenekura shaking me frantically. I smiled sardonically at them. 

"Guys, didn't Mommy say not to wake her up unless it's an emergency?"

"But it is!" they insisted together.

"Hakudoushi just smashed the TV, and he locked hisself in his room!" Koromachi said excitedly. "And he cursed, too, Mom!" I shot up straight, brows furrowed in concern. I was more preoccupied with what could've made Hakudoushi so angry that he would do such things, than the fact that he did them at all. That's where a lot of parents make mistakes.

"Why did he smash the television?"

"I dunno! He saw some guy and a lady together on there, and he just got up, cursing, and he broke the TV!"

"Um…" I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "You two can watch television in here." They hissed "_Yes!_" and scrambled for the remote on my dresser, while I walked out and headed to my son's Romanian style room. I knocked on the door.

"Go the fuck away!" He yelled.

"Hakudoushi, it's me." For a moment, nothing happened, then the doorknob turned and the door opened slightly. I pushed it open and closed it behind me, noticing that Hakudoushi was sitting in a corner, sulking. I sat opposite him, looking at him.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" I asked softly. His eyes narrowed and they seemed to well up a little.

"I saw him." He growled hoarsely. "On the news today. He's rich now, you know. Apparently, he invested in stocks or whatever and they made him a millionaire. And he had _her _on his arm. I even thought I saw a ring on her finger. That bitch…I _hate _her."

"Hakudoushi…" I began carefully. "Who are they?" He shot me a look that said "you should know better."

"_Inuyasha and Katsumi_, that's who." My brain seemed to drop into my heart, which dropped into my stomach, which just seeped through my toes. "They're together now. So if you want to punish me for breaking the TV, I don't care. Just seeing those two together was punishment enough." I lowered my head, thinking I was about to cry, because this was the most devastating blow to both my heart and pride simultaneously that I had ever taken. But I felt like a fire was engulfing me, as I said, "I won't punish you. I would've done the same thing. Probably worse. Listen, you don't have to go to school tomorrow, alright? Just stay here with me."

"Okay. I'm kind of glad that the twins don't know he's their father. I would hate for a bastard like that to be _my _sire. And…" He took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm glad you got over him enough to be with Juun'rai."

"Huh?"

"Yeah." He laid his head on my stomach, then his palm, and seemed to concentrate. "And it seems to me that you're expecting, too."

"How did…?" I gaped.

"It's just a gift I have." He shrugged, keeping his head on my stomach. "Do you hate him, Mother?" I was almost ashamed to admit my true feelings.

"…No." I whispered, squeezing his hand in mine for reassurance. For which of us, I couldn't be sure. "Do you?"

"I despise him, I loathe him, and I never want to see his despicable face again. But…I can't say that I hate him."

* * *

"_**WHAT?!?!**_" The twins' reaction to Hakudoushi's little vacation from school was exactly as I'd expected. 

"Hey, that's no fair!" Koromachi yelled.

"Yeah, how come Hakudoushi gets to stay home today?!"

"Oh, shut up, you little babies." Hakudoushi rolled his eyes.

"I mean, the guy _broke _the TV, _and _he cursed! If that was me, you'd make me go to school all week!" Koromachi grumbled.

"Look, guys. I need Hakudoushi here."

"Jeez, just call Juun'rai." Tenekura shrugged. "He's cool, he can help you out with whatever." Hakudoushi and I exchanged a brief glance and I sighed. Hakudoushi glared at his younger brother and sister and pushed them out the door.

"Do what your mother says, you ungrateful punks. And if you're late for that bus, I'm gonna ram the bus stop sign so far up your butts, the bus will come to you." I snickered as the twins slammed the door behind them. Hakudoushi shook his head, coming with me into the house.

"So." He sighed, flopping on the couch and looking up at me listlessly. "Birthday's in, uh…what, five weeks?"

"January the fourteenth. You know I remember."

"I don't want anything."

"Well, too bad. Juun'rai got you some money." Hakudoushi sighed, shaking his head.

"Juun'rai will be a better father than him. He's not even here."

"That isn't his fault, Hakudoushi. It's mine."

"No, it's _not_! Don't say that!" He said fiercely. I should've just shut up. He always got so fired up whenever we talked about Inuyasha. "He should've never let his demon take control of him and treat you like that. Treat _us _like that. If he wasn't such a jackass, you wouldn't've had to let him go. You wouldn't've lost all your trust in him!" I nodded slowly. "And not to be a putdown, but you wouldn't be pregnant with Juun'rai's child."

"Well, yeah, you've got a point. But still. It was like when you were born, and he found out you weren't his. He was pretty pissy at first, but I figured, Hey, why shouldn't I love this child just because he's not Inuyasha's? And so the same goes for this child in my belly." I shrugged.

"…" Hakudoushi stared at me. "What the hell kind of thing is that to tell your child?"

"If you can curse, you can hear those things. It's one or the other." I smirked.

"Agreeable enough." He sniffed. "So…are we going to get a new television today or what?"

"Yes, we will. How much money do you have saved up?" He eyed me warily.

"I'm broke." I laughed.

"Boy, I don't want none of your money. I was just asking."

"Oh. I don't know, I haven't counted yet. I'm thinking somewhere in the five hundreds, though."

"Oh, you rollin' high now, huh?"

"Very."

Hakudoushi seemed to keep hiding his face while we were in the electronics store. The fourth time I caught him, I rolled my eyes.

"Is something wrong with you, Hakudoushi?"

"Jeez. There's this girl at school, her name's Pistachio, and she…_likes_ me." He muttered. I smiled toothily.

"_Pistachio_, eh?" This was the moment in life every parent—or, at least, the normal ones, anyway—dreamed about! Well, technically, no, 'cause it was supposed to be the other way around, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers.

"She's got this older brother who keeps threatening my life because he thinks I want his sister."

"Let me guess, the brother's name is Peanut?" I grinned.

"…Yeah, actually, how'd you know?" My grin fell and I blinked at him.

"Er…lucky guess…I guess." I cleared my throat.

FNC: Well, so. I decided to end the chapter on a happy note, since everything was so drama and angst. But hey, you get what you signed up for, and y'all signed up for some hard, cold _angst_! Also some romance, too, but that comes later.

Review, please!


	31. Chapter 31

"Well, kids, when two people like each other—"

"Jeez, Mom, spare us the birds and the bees—Hakudoushi already told us you're having Juun'rai's baby." Koromachi yawned.

"Yeah, relax. We think it's cool!"

"Our baby brother is gonna be a rock star kid!" Tenekura snorted in loud objection.

"No _way _it's gonna be no stinky _boy_; _she's _gonna be a girl!" she argued, and they were about to fight again, until I yelled out, "Just _hold _on there, Jethro and Jethrina!" They stopped to look at me. "You can't tell Juun about this. He…still doesn't know yet."

"Why not?" I sighed, wishing they could be as perceptive as Hakudoushi sometimes. He elaborated for me.

"You dolts, don't you get it? Okay, Juun'rai is famous, so just imagine what would happen to his career if it got out that he got our mother pregnant! The tabloids would jump on him so fast, he won't know what hit him. That is what is called _bad-pub-li-ci-ty_."

"Well, but I just don't think that's right." Tenekura sniffed. "I mean, it's pretty obvious that Juun loves Mom, and as crazy as he is about her, he won't care about the public! He'd probably pack up his stuff and come over here to Venice so he can help you take care of y'all's kid." I blinked, surprised at the sense she made which just about knocked Hakudoushi's logic out of the ballpark.

"And besides that, think about it. It's been two weeks now. Seimegami's helping you speed up the birthing process, so, uh…" He poked at my stomach with a tentative claw and a quirked eyebrow. "You're starting to show. Juun'rai might be kinda goofy sometimes, but he isn't all that stupid." …Still surprised here. Apparently, so is Hakudoushi. Looks like wishes really do come true.

"Well…" Hakudoushi cleared his throat, trying to regain control of the conversation. "That logic aside…just don't tell him. If he asks, just say Mom's getting fat again." I glared heavily at Hakudoushi, yanking so hard on his ears that his feet lifted off the ground.

* * *

Koromachi and Hakudoushi looked rather rough as they trudged into the house the next day. Tenekura was asleep in her bed, because she had been out in the cold far too long, and got sick. You would think that, since she's a demon, it wouldn't affect her so much, but apparently it did.

I stared listlessly at the boys. "I'm going to ask you once, and I don't want no bullshit answers. What the hell happened to you two?" They looked at each other, then at me.

"I got in a fight."

"With whom? And it better not have been your fault."

"Some stupid kitsune boy."

"He means Peanut." Hakudoushi elaborated. "It turns out that Pistachio not only likes me, but Koromachi as well. He was a tad bit harsh in rejecting her, and Peanut came along. They began to fight, I jumped in to protect Koromachi, and we all got suspended. That's all."

"No, that is not! Mama, that big son-of-a-bitch called me a Jap bastard!" I wasn't angry, since Peanut was just a kid, but Koromachi was obviously pissed. Hakudoushi was more or less calmly indifferent about it all.

"Well, all I can say is, you better had defended your heritage." I quirked my eyebrow and looked at them. "_Both _of you."

"Of course we did." Koromachi snorted. "I wouldn't be standing here talking to you if I didn't handle _my _business."

"Ah, but our, uh, suspension is for two days. They apparently don't take fighting as seriously as we do in Japan. We need you to sign these write-ups and take us to school Thursday." Hakudoushi said, and both handed me their write-up slips before heading up to their rooms.

"Don't wake up your sister, she's unwell." I called, mainly to Koromachi, who scoffed in reply, "I been saying _that _for years." I rolled my eyes and looked at Hakudoushi's write-up.

_Hakudoushi Higurashi: culprit in the assault of Tenchiji Kobayashi. _The surname piqued my interest. What was a Kobayashi doing in Venice? I frowned, not wanting to immediately jump to conclusions…but it was quite odd. A kitsune by the name of Kobayashi? And Katsumi's appearance on _television _a couple weeks ago? No mere coincidence, and I'd be damned if I just waved it off as one.

I was about to do a little…_investigating_. (cue evil smirk)

* * *

I sat patiently in the office with my sons, looking around. There had to have been about five other parents there, too, all reprimanding and cursing at their children in Italian. One mother had said, "Haven't I told you to stop throwing sharpened pencils at your teacher? Now you will have to join a convent and live out the rest of your life as a Carthusian!" I, Hakudoushi, and Koromachi all looked at each other, fighting not to laugh. The door opened and who should come in but Katsumi Kobayashi, dragging the boy I presumed to be "Peanut" by his ear. He looked disgruntled. There was no sign of Inuyasha, though, and Hakudoushi and I gave each other warning looks.

_Where is he? _My son's eyes said. I gave the smallest of shrugs. Even out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Katsumi smirking. I cleared my throat as the principal came in.

"Signora Kobayashi; Signora Higurashi. You may step into my office now." I sighed as we all got up and followed him through the door. Hakudoushi closed it behind him, and we sat down again. The principal sat behind his desk, eyeing us all.

"I think I would first like to say that I expected more from you, Hakudoushi. As one of our star pupils, fighting seems below you." I displayed my own proud little smirk and discreetly watched as Katsumi's deflated.

"It is, sir. But I had to defend my brother." Hakudoushi explained flatly. "Also, Tenchiji called Koromachi a very derogatory name, and it was quite unacceptable."

"Hmm?"

"Koromachi was alleged to have been called a "Jap bastard?" I cocked an eyebrow, doing the air quotes. This time, Katsumi frowned at her—son, was it? I wasn't sure.

"Is that true, Tenchiji?"

"Keh—well, he is!" Tenchiji grumbled. Hakudoushi had to hold Koromachi back. I stared at them idly, my gaze alternating from this child who obviously had no respect for his own culture, to my own children, who were respectable enough to at least fight for it.

And then, the question "Whose kid is that?" crossed my mind again. He was a kitsune, and Katsumi _did _come out here, and they _did _have the same last name, so there had to be some close relation. Maybe a nephew, if not a son. But I knew he couldn't be Inuyasha's, even though they had the same bitchy attitude, because there wasn't a hint of dog in Tenchiji. Somehow, that comforted me.

"Tenchiji, you need to apologize to Koromachi and Hakudoushi." And it sounded alien coming out of her mouth. Hakudoushi and I stared at her, but she didn't even look at us. She looked genuinely disappointed in her…son or nephew.

"But _Mom…_!" Ah. That solved _that _mystery.

"Tenchiji, it was in dishonorable to insult them like that, so apologize." The child glared at smirking Koromachi and apathetic Hakudoushi and bit out an entirely unapologetic, "_Sorry_." That didn't sound like he meant it at _all_, but I supposed that was the best we were going to get from him.

"So. I trust that there will be no more incidents like this?" Everybody else in the room said, "No, sir."

"Then you all may leave." Koromachi was quick to exit the room. I don't think he was all too keen on being Tenchiji's friend or anything. Hakudoushi was at my side, cutting visual daggers into Katsumi's face every time she looked away. He truly did hate her. Once we were all out of there, Hakudoushi didn't even wait for me to tell him to get to class. In his mind, it was probably "any excuse to get away from that bitch." Tenchiji trudged off to his class, too, leaving the hallway empty except for Katsumi and I. Now, I'm not saying I'm too old to fight or anything, but I've always hated those fighting moms, so I wasn't going to say anything. I was just gonna walk the hell away and not say a word to her. But as soon as I was halfway gone, home free, you could even say, she called to me, "No doubt you're wondering whose he is." I wanted to keep walking, but I was actually itching to know. So I stopped, which she took as the indicative that I wanted to know. "Well, it's not his." I bit back a sarcastic retort and simply nodded my head.

_Wow, you're being unusually mature about this._

Well, I'm trying. I mean…we've got kids now, and we need to start setting some examples. I think we need to start burning bridges—that's the phrase, right?

…_I assume so._

Right. We're not in college anymore. We don't need to be fighting senselessly.

_Right. …But, uh, if she starts something…_

Oh, yeah, no, then, it'll be on like a motherfucker.

"And you're also wondering what I'm doing here."

"…(clears throat) Somewhat." Keep the words short and concise. Don't want any misunderstandings.

"Well, Kenchiji and Aniki have been staying with their father, and I decided to come here and see them because Cipriano had to go away on business for a while."

"…Okay."

"_And _you're wondering where Inuyasha is." When I was silent, she continued, "I know you've seen us on TV together." I still didn't say anything, because something told me that if I did, I would only embarrass myself by crying or something.

_You fucking **better **say something! Don't let that bitch get away with hurting your feelings!_

Yeah…hey, yeah, you're right! Damn it! I cut off Katsumi's next words by saying quietly, "What are you trying to do, Katsumi? Ruin my life? You've got about three more centuries—"

_Like I said, God willing._

"—to try, so why start now? You've got everything you've ever wanted—your glamorous lifestyle, the rich, handsome guy. Hell, you even have kids. What else do you want? What did _I _ever really do to you? I tried to be mature about this whole meeting and just walk away, but you just want to stir up trouble. I'm not going to try and "steal" him back from you. You can have him, but you need to realize that when you get him, you're getting a little bit of me and a little something you might not want." I took a deep breath, letting myself revel in her stunned silence, and strutted out of there, dignity intact.

That entire speech all added up to utter bullshit when I bumped into someone outside.

Goddamn it, I wasn't expecting him to actually be here!

Inuyasha spun around and stared at me. I looked back calmly, inadvertently rubbing my stomach. It yelled at me to get some food, but I wasn't all that ashamed, since Inuyasha didn't seem to notice that. He was too busy staring the hell out of me.

"Hi." I waved briefly. _I'm having Juun's baby, and how have you been? _What a conversation starter _that _would've been!

"Uh…hi…" He said nervously. Now, just why was he nervous? Did he know I was pregnant? Did he know he had, like, _zero _chance with me now? Did he know that his woman's children weren't his?

The answers to all of the questions were the same.

Who the hell cared? "Um…wow, Kagome, you look great."

"I know." I smirked, regaining my confidence and walking past him, brushing his shoulder with mine and whispering, "_Eat your fucking heart out_."

_**HA! **_Not bad for a pregnant girl, huh?!

* * *

FNC: Heh! So there you go! All those who wanted Kagome to break down and cry—yeah the fuck right. But all those who knew she was gonna fire his ass up? HELLS YEAH, BABY! She knows what to do! She was cool and all that!

Ahem…

But I digress. (smirks)

I'm not going to make Katsumi good, since it's obviously too late for that, and I'm still wavering on what to do with Juun'rai's baby. But seriously, man, I swear, I'm gonna start making it a habit to update, like, every night at ten or something. The reviews I'm getting is incredible. I can't believe I'm so liked! Or loved! And big shout-out to my numbah-one aneue, Firelight Dance! (But she's gonna get demoted if her ass don't update! L) Numero dos is Demonic Reiki, whose name was fortuitously changed, but I like it still. Um…lemme see, here, AznPriestess, 'cause she's, like, quite the faithful reviewer…ah! voices-in-the-wind, can't forget you! Raven-of-the-Shadow-Realm, what up?!

Anybody else I forgot…'cause a bitch got some hella bad short-term…you know FNC loves you!

So review anyway.


	32. Chapter 32

Hakudoushi smiled as I recounted my little "coming-upon" with Inuyasha that night. He especially enjoyed the part where I said "Eat your heart out."

"But you know…" I sighed happily, turning off the tempura. Hakudoushi scooped it into bowls, listening to me intently. "I feel…good. Liberated."

"And you should. I'm happy for you and proud of you." He agreed, then his smile soured a little. "What happened with Katsumi?"

"I wasn't all too sure. I was calm and mature about it all, but she seemed to be rubbing something in my face. So I made up one of those spur-of-the-moment speeches I always get when I'm riled up a little. She was stunned, naturally."

"So that was a little two-for-one victory, huh?" Hakudoushi snickered.

"Hell, yeah. Hey, go get your brother and sister." He dashed up the stairs and there was a knock at the door. Must've been Juun'rai. I answered it and he seemed to avert his eyes. "Um…_hi_? Is there something wrong?" He looked at me apologetically. "And weren't you supposed to be gone?"

"Well…I…came back. I figured we had a few things to talk about…" He said quietly. I sighed, massaging my forehead.

"They told you, didn't they?" I grumbled. "Look, Juun, I didn't tell you because I didn't want to burden you, because of your career and all, but I think if I can raise three by myself, then an extra one or two shouldn't be too bad, right?" He blinked, startled.

"Wh-what are you talking about? No, I mean…I saw Inuyasha today." I paled.

"Uhh…"

"What were _you _talking about?"

"…Plants." I said quickly. "Yeah. Plants. So, um…what was your news again? You saw who?"

"Inuyasha. He asked me about you. He said he thought you looked very beautiful. I tried to ignore him but he nearly throttled me and growled, _You better fucking take care of her, too, you little shit. _I don't think he likes me very much." I rolled my eyes. Even when we weren't together, he was still a jealous prick. He must've smelled me on Juun'rai. "It was weird, too, 'cause I never said we were in a relationship." It was obvious that he'd chosen his words carefully, so as not to directly imply that we _were _in a relationship, but not to sound callous, either.

"Yeah, well…he's pretty much an idiot, so I'm not fucking with him anymore." Juun'rai grimaced.

"I saw him with that kitsune girl you don't like. What's up with him? And she's got a kid for my cousin, yet the two that _I _saw had those classic Italian features."

"They aren't Inuyasha's, so what do I care?" I grinned.

"True."

"Wanna come in, have a little tempura?"

"Oh, that sounds lovely." Juun'rai snickered. I looked at him dully. He always found the word "lovely" to be funny as hell for some reason. And if he didn't laugh out loud, you better believe he was laughing in his head.

"Yeah, you're pretty much an idiot, too."

* * *

"Ameliore. That would be such a pretty name, huh, Hakudoushi?"

"Hmm…no. It reminds me too much of the word "ameliorate." I snapped my fingers with a grin.

"_That's _where I got it from! I thought it sounded familiar." Hakudoushi rolled his eyes. I wasn't even a month pregnant, yet we were already sorting through baby names. Tenekura thought for a moment, then smirked, "How about Tenekurani?"

"Who wants _another _Tenekura?" Koromachi scoffed. "His name should be Koronimachi!" Hakudoushi stared at him before smacking him upside the head.

"Shut up. That was so stupid, I forgot to hit you." He shook his head. Koromachi glared at his older brother, grumbling incoherently as he rubbed the back of his head. Tenekura snickered.

"You know what, we're not naming it _any _of that. Okay?"

"Why don't you do like Tobushikai did and name it after both you and Juun'rai?" Tenekura suggested.

"How do you know about Tobushikai?"

"Remember, you told us about her." I hoped I left out a few indecent details… "You said how she didn't like dudes all that much until she met an ex-boyfriend of yours and they had a baby."

"…That's all I told you, right?"

"I think so."

"Okay, cool. But that only works for certain names. I mean, Koubushime—that's pretty unique. What would I name it? Uh, Juun'gome? 'Cause that _sounds _ugly. Karai? Ew. Kagon'rai? That sounds like an alternate name for cerebral palsy." They laughed. "Juungoraime? That sounds like Japanese jungle fever."

"But Juungo sounds cool enough." Koromachi shrugged.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with him." Tenekura nodded slowly.

"It reminds me of…um…Donkey Kong." Hakudoushi scratched his nose idly. "Yeah. Donkey Kong. Juungo's more of a nickname than a real name, though."

"Yeah, I think so too." I nodded.

"How about Akago or Goushinki, if it's a boy, and Kagura or Kanna if it's a girl"?

"Kagura?" Koromachi frowned, scratching his head. "Isn't that a boy's name? From that anime, Fruits Basket?"

"So? That doesn't make it any less of a good name." I smiled. "I'll consider it."

"Wow…I can't believe you're gonna have another baby!"

"And a human one, now, so you'll have to go easy on it."

"You don't know that, it may be hanyou." Hakudoushi corrected me.

"Hmm?"

"Well, you may have transformed. Like on the plane." He stared me down with his steely eyes, and I realized how embarrassing it had to have been to see his mother submitting helplessly to Inuyasha's will like I had. I hoped a day like that would never come again.

"Yeah. Like on the plane." I nodded. "Um…Koromachi, Tenekura, why don't two you go and play the PlayStation2 or something? I need to talk to your brother." Koromachi rolled his eyes.

"He _always _gets to know the good stuff."

"That's because I can _handle _the good stuff." Hakudoushi smirked, as his twin siblings hiked up the stairs and to their room.

"Hakudoushi…I'm sorry you, um, had to see that. All those years ago. It's unnatural for a child so young as you to be subjected to…that."

"It's okay. I didn't really understand it back then, but now I do. You were—and still are—in love with him, and he allowed himself to take advantage of that. Maybe he loved you back, maybe he didn't—who really knows? Maybe now he only feels a sense of remorse, and not true love, like how you feel about him. How many times has he cried over you? I'm sure not nearly as much as you did over him." He cleared his throat, getting to his feet and looking at me. "But what do I know? I'm just a kid." To my surprise, he gave me a hug, then scampered up to his room. I stared at my stomach, which I could just barely see under my breasts. My whole middle body was going to just blow up within the course of two months.

I rubbed my stomach with a small smile. I guess it would be worth it. After all, I've never had a human child before. Or a hanyou.

* * *

"I want to talk to you." The same words mirrored in the same day, first to Juun'rai, then to Inuyasha. It was all happening again, and this time, there was no escaping it. It was about a week after Hakudoushi's birthday, and I'd finally gotten up enough nerve to call them together. Juun'rai sounded curious as to why I would want to talk to him, all of a sudden, but Inuyasha on the other hand was more than eager to meet me. Luckily—for him, at least, I didn't give much of a damn—Katsumi had allowed him to stay in Italy while she took her children back to Japan for a little vacation. I didn't think she'd trust him that much, but apparently, after my little speech, she had a little change of heart.

I sipped a cappuccino with my shades on as I waited for the two to come. It was a little chilly still, but I was sitting under an umbrella, occasionally gazing up at the clear blue sky. I found it ironic and humorous that Juun'rai and Inuyasha were coming in from opposite directions, and they occupied chairs, glaring at each other.

"What are you doing here?"

"What am _I _doing here; what the fuck are _you_ doing here?"

"Kagome called me here!"

"Well, damn it, she called me too." I rolled my eyes. What fucking idiots. _Still _the same thing.

"Um, guys, I hate to break up your little lover's tiff, but I called you both here. I need to talk to both of you, and it's quite urgent because this has been on my mind for a while." I said clearly, and they stopped bickering to look at me. Just like children. "Right. Now…I want to know this whole you and Katsumi business." Inuyasha blinked.

"W-who, me?"

"Yes, you, dumbass, who else?" I said sarcastically.

"Um…well…after you left, I went into a downward spiral depression, and I stayed that way for at least a year and a half. I don't know why, but during that time, people were investing a lot and getting money. Even Miroku had done it. Investing stocks was the new gambling game.

"So with a lot of persuasion, he told me to invest a few hundred bucks in what he considered this revolutionary product. I gave up the money by New Year's, and by Valentine's Day, I had about five grand. I invested stocks the rest of that year, and by Christmas Time, money that I had saved in the bank skyrocketed and I became a millionaire.

"That's when Katsumi came into the picture. She ended up seducing me, and the next thing I knew, she was pregnant. What I hadn't known was that she was two weeks pregnant even _before _the fact, because she'd come to Italy. I just thought she was getting a little pudge.

"She tried to pin the pregnancy on me, and something told me that baby wasn't mine, but what could I do? So I had no choice but to stay with her.

"When she had the baby, any idiot could see that he wasn't mine, but Katsumi was concerned with how she looked to other people to a near obsession, so she suggested we marry, so Kenchiji wouldn't look like a bastard. I replied to this not too kindly—more specifically, with a fervent _hell no_. I split up with her after half a year, and didn't see her for another year.

"I saw her here, and I could tell she'd already given birth, but she looked like she was working on another. We got back together, and only two and a half months later, she had a girl."

"Did you ever get her pregnant?" I asked calmly.

"…Twice." He admitted shamefully. Juun'rai glared at him with a rictus that could make anyone feel like an ass. "But they never lived. The first time, she had a miscarriage. The second, she went into premature labor, and the baby died shortly after it was born. I, um…tried to get in contact with you and Hakudoushi, so I could see the twins, but…no such luck." He grinned helplessly. That's when Juun'rai put in his two cents.

"That's _good _you didn't, either, after how you treated their mother and brother, you monster!" he scowled. Inuyasha growled in angry response.

"Watch your motherfucking mouth, you little shit. Kagome is still my mate—"

"Yeah, for all the time _you _were with her and the twins, _I _might as well have been her mate!" Juun'rai yelled back.

_Uh-oh. That's trouble._

Huh? Why?

_Juun'rai, whether he knows it or not, is challenging Inuyasha for the dominant position in your relationship._

…Huh. You're right about _that_. That is pretty troublesome.

"You're toeing thin ice now. Shut the fuck up." And they thus began an argument, in which their voices overlapped each other in such loud and unbearable tones, I could no longer stand to hold my tongue.

"I am pregnant with Juun'rai's baby!" I loudly interrupted. The two, who were about to come to blows, halted all movement to stare at me. I crossed my arms, looking at them both defiantly.

"You—you what?" They said feebly.

"I am having Juun'rai's child in about three months. You heard me." I said, slowly and deliberately with a quirk of my eyebrow.

"Why…um…h-how come you-you never told me?" Juun whispered, forgetting about Inuyasha and turning to me with tentatively joyful eyes. Inuyasha looked utterly distraught.

"I didn't want to mess up your career, so I told the kids to keep a lid on it. I knew I'd have to tell you sooner or later. But I don't want you jeopardizing your life for it. I care too much about you to want to subject you to that." Juun'rai looked about on the verge of tears, and he leaped up and hugged me tightly, crying a little into my shoulder. I smiled with a small blush, embracing him back.

"God, Kagome…do you know how long I've waited for this day? I don't give a damn about my career! I'm gonna stay right here with you. I love you so much, it—" He was abruptly silenced by Inuyasha's hand clasped around his neck, dragging him away from me. I was alarmed as hell, casting a frantic glance at Inuyasha. Yes, his eyes had changed color again, but somehow, there wasn't that insane glint of malice and hate and near dementia as he used to have. There was only extreme jealousy and a lot of dislike, but no hate. So…

He controlled his demon now.

I hadn't realized I'd been staring at Inuyasha until he looked back at me and his eyes turned back to normal. He sighed, dropping Juun'rai, whose face began to turn purple.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't mean to do that, but I did. I'm trying to control myself."

"I can tell." I smiled, trying not to cry myself. I looked down at Juun'rai's unmoving body on the table. "Um…will Juun be okay?"

"He's just unconscious, is all." Inuyasha waved me off. "But that's all the more time for you and I to talk more."

"Fine. I just want you to know that Juun'rai does have to be around his child when it's born, so—"

"No, no, I'm not going to try and separate you two. It looks like you're rebuilding your relationship, so there's no room for me."

"I didn't say that. Because the twins need their father, too. They saw you on television last year (meaning about a month ago…Hakudoushi's birthday is in January, and the part before this section took place in December. Whole new year, or at least by American standards. Just to clear things up.) and they didn't even know you. Hakudoushi went crazy, though."

"Huh?"

"He busted up the television and swore." Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"Shit…have I affected him that much?"

"He feels betrayed. _We _feel betrayed. We had a much tighter bond after I left you." I smiled suddenly. "You really should see the twins. Koromachi looks exactly like you, and he and Tenekura fight all the time." He chuckled.

"Sounds like my kids."

"Yeah, well, they definitely are." I sighed, scratching my hair. "We're all going to have to work something out so you can see them." He shook his head, surprising me. "Huh?"

"Kagome, do you really think I can stand to live without you? And with Katsumi, no doubt?" He made his way around the table and pulled me close to him. "You crazy bitch, I love you. I spent _years _quelling that demon and trying to figure out how to rebuild that trust we lost. Don't let it have been in vain."

And with those words, he kissed me.

FNC: (sighs happily) Story is coming to a close, people! No, I don't want to end it yet, either, but damn, I'm running out of ideas! This is now officially my most popular story, based on reviews! I'm coming close to four hundred reviews, so c'mon, people, make my dreams and yours come true. Press that button. You may just save a life. (nods sagely)


	33. Chapter 33

I didn't realize just how much I missed Inuyasha until I kissed him back. At first, it was meant to be sweet and innocent, but with the way it developed, you would think we were trying to conceive again.

Once his hand moved around to cup my butt, I had to stop him.

_Purely against your will, though_.

Yes, _LORD! _"Getting a little too eager there, aren't we, sport? What about your homeward bound woman?"

"Who the hell needs _that _cheating bitch? I have you back now." He smiled, moving in to kiss me, but I pushed him away with a shake of my head.

"God. Inuyasha, you just really don't get it, do you? We can't just get back together all willy-nilly, after eight years, and you're just now knowing the twins' names!"

"That isn't even my fault." He said evenly. "I looked for you forever, guided only by our mate mark—which is _fading_, by the fucking way—and you never seemed to respond. So don't you start the blame game for me not knowing anything about my children. All I want to do is recreate what we had—_still_ have."

"Recreate? Or _pro_create? They're not one and the same, Inuyasha. You can't have your cake and eat it too."

"But you taste so good!" He whined, making me blush a little.

"I'm serious, Inuyasha. This running back and forth ain't happening, and I can already see that, so if you don't mind, I'm going to be taking Juun back home."

"Kagome, please wait!" He pleaded. "I don't…how can I make you trust me again?"

"You can't _force _trust, Inuyasha. I don't think you're ready to handle mine just yet."

"Oh, and this guy has?" Inuyasha gestured angrily in Juun's direction.

"Well, damn it all, I reckon so, seeing as I'm _pregnant_ by the guy!" I drawled sarcastically. "I've always trusted Juun'rai. But we could never be serious because my _stupid _ass was chasing after you still." I shook my head. "I can't say I wish I'd never even met you, like they do on TV, because then, I never would've had Hakudoushi and the twins. But I do wish I didn't love you so much. So when Katsumi comes back, or when you go back to Japan, I don't want her thinking I want you back. Lord knows me and her are too old to be fighting like we used to. For God's sake, I'm friggin' thirty-one." Inuyasha was a loss for words.

"So…there's no chance for us?" I gave him a helpless smile.

"I guess not." I borrowed some of Seimegami's inhuman strength and carried Juun like he was a scarf. Something told me, though, that Inuyasha wasn't going to let me go this easily.

* * *

Hakudoushi came into the house that following Tuesday, looking disgruntled. The twins rushed in after him, strangely with more of their usual buoyancy. Juun'rai had stayed over last night because he hadn't yet recovered from being choked unconscious. We'd been talking a little more.

"Hey, guys." He waved. Hakudoushi didn't respond; instead, he glared at me through narrowed eyes and stalked up to his room. Juun blinked. "What's wrong with Hakudoushi?"

"Who cares?!?!" Koromachi said impatiently. "The point is, this _famous _guy came to our school today! Well, not really _famous_, 'cause he wasn't famouser than Juun'rai, but he had, like, a lot of money! It was the guy that was on the news that time Hakudoushi busted the TV, and he _knew us_!"

"Yeah! Hakudoushi didn't like him, though, and he was all _We don't talk to strangers_ and whatever, but the guy knew him _too_! He knew you, too, and he asked how you were doing!" I knew Juun'rai was irritated at what was obviously the beginning of Inuyasha's constant appearance in my life, but he didn't show it.

"You must mean Inuyasha Hatakushi." He said. "He's a good friend of your mom's."

"An even better friend than you?" Koromachi smirked. I fought not to snicker while Juun'rai mock glared at my son.

"Ha-ha-ha, very funny. It just so happens that he's known your mother for a very long time, let's say." I could understand his evasion. I mean, how exactly do you tell your kids that the guy they don't know is their father? They wouldn't believe me, and plus, they would ask a lot of questions. Now I knew why Hakudoushi looked at me like I'd betrayed him. He must've known I saw Inuyasha yesterday.

"Hey, Juun'rai, why don't you tell them more about Inuyasha?" I said, somewhat distracted. "I'm gonna go chat with Hakudoushi." He shrugged, and as soon as I got up, the twins occupied my seat. I had the fleeting feeling that my butt was getting bigger before I headed up the stairs.

"Hakudoushi." He turned a steely eye onto me and I stepped in, sitting—with some difficulty—on the floor.

"Why didn't you tell me you'd seen him yesterday?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't know how to handle it. You need to learn how to let go of it, Hakudoushi."

"Have you?" he shot back, which stung a little. Ouch. Okay, I'll admit I kinda deserved that for being a hypocrite.

"I'm getting there. I told him we couldn't be together, but he's apparently bent on proving me wrong." I stared down at my knees. "At the rate he's going, it won't be long before he does."

"You'll just give in to him, won't you? Like you always do. Like you always _have_, and like you always will. He's got you under his command, and you don't even fully recognize it."

"Okay. I'll accept that that's true. But he told me that our link was fading." I made a mental note to look at my back in the mirror later on. "That's why I could be so strong lately. That's why he's getting more and more desperate. Years ago, I wished that I wasn't mated to him. It seems that wishes really do come true…" Hakudoushi digested this for a few moments, then said quietly, "What will you do once the link fades?"

"I don't know yet."

"…" He lowered his voice to an exceptionally small tone as he whispered something else I couldn't quite catch.

"Wh…what? I couldn't hear you."

"Salvage it." He muttered, looking at me. I stared back at him, bewildered.

"Say what?!"

"I miss him. I won't lie. I dislike him very much right now, and I myself find it hard to trust him, but I miss him. Juun'rai's cool and all, but—"

"He's no Inuyasha." I smiled gently.

"…Tch." He blushed slightly. "Besides, Koromachi needs somebody to keep him in check for all the times you let him run around like a wild deer."

"Well, I can't help that he's a little bad-ass." I shrugged.

"Hey, but…what's going to happen to all of us? It's obvious we can't all live in the same house, you, me, Inuyasha, Juun'rai, Koromachi, Tenekura, _and _this new addition. We'd all tear each other to shreds, if we haven't yet sent each other to the crazy house."

"We'll work out something, I promise, okay?" I smiled. "I dunno, maybe we'll…live next door to each other or something." Hakudoushi chuckled, rolling his eyes.

* * *

Goddamned big-mouth Hakudoushi. The twins were now mad at _me _because I didn't tell them that Inuyasha was their father. So guess who went and told them himself?

Nobody but Hakudoushi.

So Tenekura and Koromachi aren't mad at _Inuyasha _for not telling them, or not even Juun'rai, whose jealousy they should've picked up on the first time Inuyasha's name was mentioned, but _me_. ME!

So, without, like, _any _permission of mine, the twins invited Inuyasha over to the house so we could all just have one big-ass _talk_. Now, if I remember correctly, didn't he and I already talk? Hmm. But apparently, they just want us all together.

So here we all are, sitting at the kitchen table, silent as a graveyard. Inuyasha couldn't really keep his eyes off of me, and Juun'rai, who had already been here, kept glaring at Inuyasha.

"Guys, say something!" Koromachi groaned, banging his head on the table.

"Boy, stop."

"Jeez! This is so _boring_! I could _so _be eating some ramen right now."

"That sounds great; I think I'll go fix me some." I grinned, but Tenekura said, "Hey, hey, hey! No way! We all need to talk about this situation!" I whined like a child, sitting back down and pouting. Inuyasha chuckled, which indicated that he thought it was cute.

"Then I'll start it off." Hakudoushi sighed. "As you can all well imagine, both fathers cannot cohabitate. It's virtually impossible without someone getting strangled—no offense, Juun'rai." Inuyasha and Koromachi snickered, while I fought not to laugh myself. Juun'rai and Tenekura were the only ones who didn't seem to find it as funny as we did. "So does anyone have any ideas as to what we should do?"

"Um…" I raised my hand, provoking laughter from Koromachi and Inuyasha. Hakudoushi gave me a dry stare.

"Yes, Mother?"

"I have to go pee." Koromachi and Inuyasha were absolutely in tears by now. "No, seriously, now, I'm pregnant! Hell, when I got to go, I got to go! I'll be right back."

I came back a few minutes later, a sheepish grin on my face. "Okay, bladder's empty now, hands clean, let's get back down to business." Koromachi and Inuyasha were still snickering.

"I suggest that I live here, with you, and—"

"_imitates buzzer _I don't _think _so. Nuh-uh, none of that." Inuyasha drawled. "I think _I _should live here. The twins are mine, after all." I could just _hear _him saying in his head, _And Kagome, too. _Or something to that effect, anyways.

"You know what _I _think? Since this is _my _house?" I smiled sarcastically. "A little something called joint custody. 'Cause I couldn't live with both of y'all. You would drive me insane."

"Hey, I have an idea!" Koromachi said suddenly.

"I have a better one." Tenekura curtly cut him off. I rolled my eyes. Too much Futurama. "Juun'rai, you could move in next door, and just come over and help out a little." We all blinked. That didn't sound too horribly bad.

"But how will I…never mind." He muttered, stopping himself before he indubitably said, _…get to fuck Kagome? _The answer is _no way_! Because goddamn it, all this pregnancy is too much for me, at least in _this _lifetime. No, I do believe I've had enough sex for a little while.

Never expected myself to say _that_.

"And what about me?"

"You are right, you are our father, so you should live here." Tenekura shrugged.

"Hey, awesome."

"That's actually not that bad of an idea."

"And once again, they've outwitted you, Hakudoushi." I smirked, tapping him on the forehead. "Better start doing Sudoku puzzles again, your brain is getting rusty."

This chapter was a bitch to write. I had a spot of writer's block, but now that I've developed a little short something, the next chapter should be okay. Probably the same size, but hey, I'm updating every night, aren't I?! I might start widening the time periods between updates, though. I feel like I haven't really sectioned off my brain for the other things I have to think about, like school junk. So once I get things sorted out, you'll be hearing from me again. Till then, review, please.


	34. Chapter 34

-1The alacrity with which Inuyasha handled this situation was alarming yet impressive, all at the same time. He was being quite helpful to me in my third month of pregnancy, especially since I was looking much like a beached whale. He didn't make any comments on it, though, save for the occasional, _Kagome, you know you're sexy in any form you take, so stop stressing. _That made me blush a little.

The only real problem lay in the whole housing situation. Since he was indeed the father of the twins, Inuyasha was staying with me again, but on the couch. Problem was, I had two couches in the living room: a two-cushion and a three-cushion, and with Juun'rai more often than not staying over, there were constant fights over the three cushion. Koromachi, Hakudoushi, Tenekura, and I would all gather up in the hallway and watch them curiously, like it was a documentary on territorial birds.

"Goddamn it, I'm the biggest, and I get the big couch, you puny-ass cockroach!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Well, you're right; you _are _the biggest, because if I'm a cockroach, then you're a bigger one!" Juun'rai retaliated. Did I say they were like birds? Because birds are smarter than them. They're more like retarded infants. Even Koromachi shook his head.

"They're like us." Tenekura muttered.

"Yeah, except you guys are more mature." I snorted under my breath.

"Look, if you've got such an issue taking the little couch, then just sleep on the floor!"

"You know, you're lucky Kagome fancies dogs so much, else she wouldn't let you crawl all over the furniture." Juun smirked suddenly. "Hell, I'm surprised you don't have ticks, what with your sleeping with that whore. I don't think animals can get gonorrhea." Inuyasha stood there, flustered as all hell, but I was hunkered down in silent, racking laughter. The twins only really understood the first sentence, and they were just snickering, but I knew Hakudoushi got the joke, too. His eyes were watering as he fought not to laugh out loud, thus exposing our presence.

"You shut up!" Inuyasha harrumphed, opting for the old classic response. See, he couldn't say anything about who Juun'rai slept with, because I was the only person to _ever_ sleep with him. He was a virgin before he met me. (smirks) I deflowered him and made him who he is today, and he'll tell you so, too.

"Okay, okay, can we cease the idiocy? If only for the first minute in your lives, huh?" I chuckled, Hakudoushi helping me to my feet, and headed into the living room, quirking an amused eyebrow at them. Hakudoushi escorted the nosy twins off to bed, and Juun'rai and Inuyasha had guilty looks on their faces.

"Kagome, he won't let me sleep on the long couch!" They whined at the same time, pointing to each other accusingly. I rolled my eyes with a shake of my head.

"You guys are _worse _than the twins. Jeez. If you both want the long couch so badly, just sleep on it together." The looks on their faces were so comical, I thought I'd have a miscarriage laughing. "No—kidding, kidding!" I cried out, calming myself down.

"That wasn't funny, Kagome!"

"It was to me." I snickered. "No, but seriously, guys, be mature about this, huh?" Inuyasha paused, then nodded slowly.

"You're right, Kagome. We're sorry. Juun'rai, you can have the long couch." Juun'rai smirked triumphantly. "And I'll just sleep in Kagome's room." Juun'rai's facial expression faltered like a defective television. I blinked.

"Yeah, the fuck right!" I snorted, heading back to my bed. "Y'all _better _not follow me, neither!" I called back upon hearing footsteps.

Besides from the couch incidents, everything was pretty okay. I didn't always have to be alone; if Juun'rai wasn't at the house, then Inuyasha was, if not both of them, so I had some lackeys to order around. More often than not, though, the lackeys kept trying to gain my favor by being nice or sexy or both, and frankly, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that I would inevitably have to choose.

I just hoped I didn't make the wrong choice.

In order to help me out a little, Hakudoushi suggested that we make a pros and cons list for Inuyasha and Juun'rai.

"Okay…so what are some pros on Inuyasha?" I bit my lip to keep from saying "big dick," because that's just plain inappropriate for a pregnant woman to say about her…ex-mate? Whatever…in front of her child. So instead I said, "He's strong." In my mind, that counted as the second pro. Heh.

Hakudoushi wrote this down. "Anything else?"

"I'm in love with him." I shrugged. "And I was before I'd even met Juun, so that should count as one, right?"

"I guess so." He shrugged, sounding like he didn't even give a damn as he wrote that too. He motioned for me to go on.

"Well, I suppose that if by some circumstance my own funds were suddenly drained, his financial support would be beneficial." I mused aloud. Hakudoushi stared at me blankly before exaggeratedly writing out in large, sloppy letters MONEY.

"All you had to say." He shook his head. I stuck out my tongue at him. "That all?"

"Hmm. Let me think. Because, you know, any other time, you have all this great stuff to say about the guy, but when somebody asks you to actually, like…sum it up, it's hard."

"Stop stalling and go on."

"Well, he helped bring forth the twins."

_Don't you think that might go under the "big dick" category?_

You'd think so, but…not really. Hakudoushi wrote KIDS under MONEY and looked at me expectantly. I shrugged hopelessly.

"That's about all I can dredge up at the moment. Come back later when I'm not a brain-dead cactus."

"If that's the case, we'll never get this done." He muttered. I glared at him.

"Shut up."

"So…" He sighed, ignoring my comment. "Cons."

"Arrogance." I said immediately, startled at how quickly I could list his flaw, when I had to actually think about something good. I bet if he were in my position, he'd call me a whore fresh off the bat. Hakudoushi wrote down ARROGANCE.

"Plus, I don't think he's fully got his demon under control. And he's hellishly competitive. Oh, and he can be so _childish_! And he's sneaky, too!"

"Hey, wait a minute, wait!" Hakudoushi groaned, reluctantly moving his pencil.

"Oh. Sorry." I grinned.

"Why didn't you think of this many pros?!"

"Is that all you want?" He gave me a look.

"I _guess _that'll be enough, Mother." He said firmly. I shrugged.

"Just askin'."

"And now, Juun'rai."

"Well, Juun's sweet, he's—wait, can I go back to Inuyasha, I forgot to add stuff!"

"No!" Hakudoushi snapped. "Just answer the question!"

"Man…" I grumbled. "Juun'rai's handsome, he's talented, thoughtful…more than financially stable…romantic, and faithful."

"That's a lot of things, there."

"I know. He's a very good guy."

"So cons?"

"Only a few. He's, um…well…kind of a pussy-ass bitch." Hakudoushi snickered. "Well, I guess he's oversensitive. He's too easily moved to tears."

"Is that all one con?"

"Yeah, I was just justifying it."

"One con. Anything else?"

"Well…I think he loves me too much. To the extent that he doesn't care what's standing in his way of getting to my heart."

"Too…much…love. That's all?"

"I think so."

"So Juun'rai has seven pros, while Inuyasha only has four." I bit my lip, feeling bad about what I knew the outcome would be. "And Inuyasha has five cons. Mind explaining why he has more cons than pros?"

"Shut up."

"Juun'rai's only got two pros." He gave me a helpless look. "It's pretty clear that he's the ultimate choice. Especially since you're about to have his children."

"Yeah, but—wait. Child_ren_?"

"Yes. There are two fetuses in your womb."

"Oh, God—another set of twins…?!"

"And they seem male."

"Great. Wonderful. Now I _really _won't be able to tell them apart. And they'll join your brother in wreaking all kinds of havoc and making my life hell." Hakudoushi shrugged.

"Well, that's what happens when you have kids."

"But…really, I…to be perfectly honest, I don't want to be with Juun, in the, you know, in the long run. He's fine as a temporary agent, but…no long-time. Can't really do that."

"Well, jeez, what are you going to do?" I sighed.

"I don't really know right now. I want to be with Inuyasha, frankly, despite how badly the odds are against him, but like I said before, I don't want Juun'rai's…_children_…to grow up without really knowing their father like Inuyasha's children did." Hakudoushi put his finger to his chin in thought, then he perked up, grinning at me. I grinned back.

"You just got an idea, didn't you?" He nodded confidently. "Well, lay it on me, big guy!"

(she said lay it on _her_, not y'all…)

Juun'rai was completely dumbfounded when I told him Hakudoushi's plan entailed him returning back to his job.

"But I…what?" he stammered weakly.

"Well, it doesn't have to be "work, work, work" _all _the time. I mean…you do have to spend time with one of the boys."

"…Huh?"

"Hakudoushi said that I'm having twins. So you'll be with one of them, while I take the other, and we can see how it works out from there."

"…Okay." He sighed, looking at me seriously. I was surprised he didn't cry. "I'll accept this. And listen, I know how much you want to be with Inuyasha, so…" He took a step backward, grinning helplessly. "I'm stepping off." I thought I'd pull a Looney Tunes right there—jaw staggering to the ground. I gaped at him in this manner.

"…Wow. That's…that's really very mature of you, Juun'rai."

"Hey, I think a guy knows how to take a hint sometimes." He smirked. I anime-sweat dropped.

_Yeah, **sometimes **is right._

Hey! Where the hell have you been all chapter?!

_I was here! About a page back, I think…_

(rolls eyes)

"Well, I'm glad you're respecting my wishes." I smiled, hugging him.

"I really wish you the best, Kagome, and if being with him makes you happy, then I'm willing to yield to that. But I'm not returning Toshihiro's constant calls until I'm absolutely sure things are fine, which will be _after _they're born." He said firmly, releasing me. "Okay?"

"Okay." I grinned. "It won't take long, just a couple more months."

"A couple?"

"Yeah. See, Seimegami's helping me along with the pregnancy process, and I have all my children in the period of five months or so. Because of Seimegami, either one or both of the twins will end up hanyou. I hope that won't be a problem for you…?"

"Of course not. Any child from you is obviously a blessing from the heavens." He smiled.

"Seriously, Juun'rai, thanks so much for being so understanding. But could you try not to fight with Inuyasha so much?" He gave me a sly grin.

"No."

FNC: Finally, she updates, right? Had some writer's block, but finally, true intentions revealed, huh? So I've now got something to go on for the chapters to come. You've all been so patient with me, to one degree or another, and I'm thankful for it, especially since this chapter is a little short, but you can all bear with me, right? Thanks for all the support and stuff!


	35. Chapter 35

-1Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, anyone, or anything affiliated with it. That right is solely Rumiko Takahashi's. I just have a little fun with the characters, that's all, so you have no grounds to sue me!

Two baby boys. They were so cute, too. One was hanyou, as Hakudoushi had predicted, and the other human.

I named the ningen boy Yujitama, and the hanyou was Teifuragi. Koromachi and Tenekura hadn't been allowed past the double doors, but Hakudoushi had smart-talked his way in. So it was Inuyasha, Juun'rai, and Hakudoushi, all smiling widely. Inuyasha didn't seem so bothered that the new twins weren't his; in fact, he looked as proud as if he'd given birth to them himself. I think he was trying to live out his own twins' birth, because he missed out, and he was probably going to help me raise the new twins to the best of his ability.

"Kagome, they're beautiful." Juun'rai bit his lip to keep himself from crying. "They're really beautiful." I grinned as I held both sleeping sons in my arms.

"Wanna hold Yujitama?" He looked all too eager to take his son, and he held Yuji like he was made of porcelain. "Inuyasha, come and hold Teifuragi." Inuyasha practically leaped across the room to cradle Teifuragi. I exchanged an amused glance with Hakudoushi. Inuyasha seemed so in love with Teifuragi; I couldn't see how to separate them. Even Hakudoushi could see what I wanted to be done.

"When, um…" Inuyasha took a deep breath, probably trying not to cry, too. "When can they come home?"

"In about another day. The doctors have to get stuff straight." I shrugged. This was the third time I'd been through this, so it didn't really matter to me because I knew by heart what they did to ensure the babies' health. Juun, however, wasn't very aware; he kept wavering between anxiety and excited uneasiness.

"Jeez, dude, you'd think you never saw a baby before." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"No…I just never saw _my _baby before."

"Well, which would you like to keep?" Before he could even answer, who should march their Danny DeVito ass in but Toshihiro, frothing at the mouth like a pitbull on steroids. We all had to do a double-take, having never seen the usually nice quarter thief so angry.

"You! Kid! You bring your ass on here and come back to Australia! My people been looking for you for _weeks _now, and we finally find you're in a fucking hospital, holding kids!"

"Forget you, Toshihiro! I'll go back once I know that _my _sons _and _their mother are fine!" Toshihiro emphatically motioned towards the startled Inuyasha, spluttering, "Goddamn it, Juun'rai, how blind or retarded can you _be_?! Take a hint, genius; Kagome does not want you! Every time she's ever looked at you, she's more than likely thought of him instead! Even I know that! Get the hell outta their lives and move on with your own, you pathetically hopeless romantic!" I could tell that his words cut through Juun like a double-edged sword. Even Inuyasha looked sorry for poor Juun. Hakudoushi, like usual, stared impassively at Juun'rai as he handed his other son to Inuyasha, head downcast. Anyone could automatically assume that he was crying, which we all did.

"Take care of them," he said in a firm and clear voice that in no way implicated tears, "or I'll fucking slaughter you." What surprised _me _was that one: Juun'rai raised his head, but his face and eyes were as dry as a desert. And two: the look in his eyes that signified that he must've had some kind of revelation, and shed the idea that he could still be with me.

He didn't even look my way before he left with Toshihiro.

"Whoa. Harsh." Inuyasha muttered, flinching when the door shut itself loudly.

"He was right, though." I sighed, referring to Toshihiro. "I hate that he had to go like that." The nurse came in, looking sheepish as she said, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but he demanded he be allowed in." I mentally rolled my eyes. Toshihiro must've bribed everybody to let him through or something.

"It's fine, really. I just want to go to sleep now."

"Of course, ma'am." She nodded, and left again, seeming relieved that I wasn't pissed. Hakudoushi cleared his throat and said, "I'm gonna go make sure the twins haven't broken into the snack machine." Once he, too, disappeared through the door, it was just me and Inuyasha left.

Hakudoushi could be startlingly perceptive sometimes.

"…"

"…" Y'know, after all that noise, the twins never once woke up!

_Stop stalling and say something. That's why Hakudoushi left; he knew you needed to talk._

Gee, thanks, _counselor_. I know we need to talk! I'm just drowsy, is all! All that birthing and going on has me plum-tuckered.

_Oh, shut up, you freaking hillbilly._

Before I could make some awkward statement, Inuyasha said quietly, "He told me he was gonna back off." I blinked at him, realizing that he was still holding Juun'rai's sons, and it didn't seem to bother him like it did when Hakudoushi was born. Kinda weird how he was at everybody else's kids birth except his own.

"He must've thought I deserved another chance. I think I do, too, after I broke it off with Katsumi. The only question remaining is…do you?" I shook my head; not at his question, but at his naïveté.

"I just…I can't really comprehend why you seem to think this is all so simple." I began, but he emphatically cut me off.

"It _is _simple, Kagome." He said firmly. "I love you, you love me. You're not tied, I'm not tied. We have _kids _together. That's about as simple as it gets. You're the only one making things difficult."

"No, _you're _the one making this difficult! You absolutely refuse to give me time enough to think about where _I _want to be; whether I even still _want _to be with you! All you're thinking about is how it's affecting _you_! Wake up and smell the motherfucking chrysanthemums, for God's sake!" I ignored the confused look on his face at this statement and Seimegami's howling laughter. "I've been having conflicting emotions ever since I broke up with you. Yes, of course I still love you, but I don't know whether I can still be happy with you again." I sighed, massaging my forehead. I was gonna pass out in a minute. He was silent for a while, then whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm even sorrier for assuming that nearly eight years was enough time for you."

"I wasn't expecting you to come back." I whispered back.

"Neither was I…at least, not the way I did. I didn't know—I could never even imagine myself being with Katsumi. I hated what I was, what I'd _become_, because it scared you away. Damn, Kagome, I…" He shook his head, staring at me with the need to be understood shining in his amber orbs. "I'd become _human _for you. (anybody recognize _this _familiar concept?) At least then I wouldn't have to worry about controlling myself."

"Don't say that." I stroked his face, smiling sleepily. Delivering the twins was taking its toll on me; I felt high as a _motherfucker_! Feel like they just administered, like…six syringes of morphine directly to my bloodstream! If this is how doing drugs feels, just light me a joint and I'll be cool… "I love you just how you are. All I ask that you change about yourself is how easily you tend to let your demon dominate you."

"It's not happening anymore. It's only happened twice in the past eight years." He insisted. I chuckled, amused.

"The only good time you should let your demon go is during sex, but not when we're making love." And with this ambiguous insinuation bouncing through the walls of his skull, I went to sleep.

As I carried my newborns into the house, I was reminded of when first I brought Hakudoushi home. That time, I had come to an empty house, and Inuyasha wasn't there. But this time, I was coming home to a litter, _with _a litter, _and _a man. HA! Take _that_, Oprah!

…_oO…_

By all accounts and purposes, I was pretty damn well off.

Inuyasha had apparently trusted Hakudoushi well enough to keep house and babysit while he picked me up from the hospital. He didn't do too bad, obviously, because both twins were actually washing dishes _and _dusting, which shocked the hell out of me.

I grinned at my eldest son as he sat on the couch, watching the new TV we bought after he busted up the old one.

"Got 'em trained, huh?"

"You know this." He smirked. "I've successfully made them my bitches." I let that slide, since Tenekura and I were basically bitches anyway. "They're gonna start your dinner later."

"So sweet." Inuyasha chuckled. "Now I don't have to." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm gonna go put down the twins and go to bed. I'm exhausted—they've been running tests on me for-_ever_."

"I'll be there in a minute." Inuyasha murmured, sitting beside Haku as I headed to the babies' new room. Inuyasha and Juun had built in the room a couple weeks back. Inuyasha had done "_all_" the work, as he termed it, after Juun had accidentally struck a nail through his finger. I believe Inuyasha's words, through his uncontrollable guffawing, were: "Oh, man! You can really tell those people who don't know how to do _practical _shit! Better start singing about that gaping wound in your thumb, singer boy!" Juun'rai couldn't even choke out an insult, for crying. And of course, who should join his father in the whole laughing fest but Koromachi, the little hellion. They still laugh about it.

After I'd set them down in their crib, I smiled tenderly at their sleeping faces. I never imagined that _I _could make something so beautiful…it was almost enough to make somebody cry.

Instead, I took a deep breath and left the room. I really had to change out of these reeking hospital clothes.

Once in the shower, I didn't pay any attention to the weight that was making its way into pudge building up on my stomach. I remembered the last time that happened, and it basically sucked. So I just said fuck it. If I'm pudgy, then I'm just pudgy. It's not like I can't lose it, so why make such a big fuss over virtually nothing? Especially now that I knew Inuyasha loved me no matter how fat I _thought _I was. As long as I loved myself—despite that sounding like a bunch of after-school-special bullshit—then all was right with the world. Or at least, my world.

When I came out in my pajamas—it was four in the afternoon, but damn it, I just got out of the hospital! I needed to rest!—I was instantly pinned to the wall beside the bathroom door by Inuyasha, who engulfed me in a profound kiss that showed just how much he did love me. He was all too happy when I kissed him back, and when we broke away, he smiled.

"I hope you had enough time to think now."

I liked how this chapter progressed. Now can you all still hate Juun'rai _or _Inuyasha? Maybe Toshihiro a little, and I can understand the hatred of Katsumi, but anyway.

Oh! Guess what? I just found something out! I like a Mandy Moore song. I'd forgotten that Mandy Moore even _made _music. Isn't she related to Demi?

Well, enough randomness.

Review, please!

(Oh, and if this chapter was short, I apologize. I was in sort of a brooding mood near the end. I started thinking about death and all kinds of depressing crap, and I didn't feel all that well.)


	36. Epilogue

-1Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or anyone or anything affiliated with it. That right is solely Rumiko Takahashi's. I just have a little fun with the characters, that's all, so you have no grounds to sue me!

FNC: (sigh) And so…after much debate and whatever…this apparently great story…ends. Here, my friends, is an epilogue, because I could not stand to leave you.

Now, you ain't gotta get off the Internet, but you gotta get the hell outta _this _fic!

I felt so old as I tearfully witnessed my young yet oldest son getting married. More than once, Inuyasha had to wipe my eyes, and when the wedding was finally over, Koromachi and Inuyasha escorted me out of the church, Juun'rai trailing behind with a smile.

"Jeez, Mom. You'd think you were at a funeral. Lighten up; Haku's married now!" Koromachi grinned.

"I guess…" I sniffled, smiling after the "Just Married" limo. Juun helped me into my own car.

"You know you always wanted he and Kinamadare to be together." Inuyasha grinned, swerving into the highway and heading down the road.

"Yeah. They do make a cute couple, don't they?"

"But more to the point—we gotta hurry up and make the twins' elementary school graduation!" Koromachi called from the front seat. Oh…my children were all growing up so fast. Inuyasha had made his peace with Juun'rai and Hakudoushi, I made my peace with Katsumi (somewhat), we'd finally returned back to Japan, where there were many heartfelt reunions, and here we are now. It was Hakudoushi's second year of college, Kinamadare's third, and he proposed to her.

It kind of hurt to see everything happening like this. When I bore my heart and feelings to Inuyasha last night, he assured me—before all the wild screwing—that I wouldn't be alone again. We did still have Yujitama and Teifuragi for about six more years.

And hey; if worst came to worse, we could always have another.

I mean…we've got decades to come.


	37. Announcement: NOT an addendum

Hi. Many of you know me as the author Black Ice and Blood Rain. There's a fairly long backstory to my very long absence from .

My interest in anime waned a couple years ago for some reason. Maybe it was because I was getting older, maybe I inherently believed that it was a chapter of my life that I needed to leave behind, but it happened and it persists to this day. Recently, I have attempted to reinvigorate my love for anime by watching the entirety of the gateway anime for which I wrote fanfiction: Inuyasha. (I am currently on episode 24+.)

Regardless, your reviews have not gone unread. Though relatively few compared to how they used to be, the positive reviews still trickle in, mainly for this story. But to be completely honest, I hate all the stories I ever did. I reread them a few months ago and I thought, "What the FUCK was I thinking?" I think I'm a better writer now, though my tendency toward it (interestingly, like my love of anime) has diminished. I don't write nearly as much anymore, but I have a lot of ideas.

The point here is, I will not be updating any of my stories ever. And I mean ever. But I like the idea of rewriting them to reflect my increased maturity.

Maybe I'll return to the world of fanfiction, but maybe not. Until then, I'd like to thank everyone for their support and positivity.


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